When to Add s to a Verb
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
When to Add s to a Verb
Our review of English verbs has included discussion of when to add es to a verb. You might also wonder when to add s to the end of a verb.
With verbs, only those with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boat, courage) as a subject add an s to the end. Verbs with plural nouns and pronouns do not add s at the end. (The singular pronouns I and you likewise do not add an s to the verb.)
Let’s consider an example. Which verb is plural: talk or talks?
We would say “he talks,” and he is a third-person singular pronoun, so talks (with an s) is a singular verb.
We would say “the people talk,” and people is a plural noun, so talk (no s) is a plural verb.
Let’s look at another example:
My education, experience, and training [equal / equals] what the employer [need / needs].
This sentence has two sets of subjects and verbs. The first subject is education, experience, and training, which is plural. We would say “they equal,” so the correct verb for the first subject is the plural form, equal.
The second subject is employer, which is singular. We would say “she equals,” so the correct verb for the second subject is the singular form, needs.
Here’s one more example:
If he or she [look / looks] for me, I will be in the other room.
In this sentence, he and she are the subjects; however, because they are connected by or, they are both singular, so we use the singular verb needs.
Note also that when a verb is paired with a helping (auxiliary) verb such as do, can, or should, the main verb does not change:
My education, experience, and training do equal what the employer needs.
The people can talk.
If he should look for me, I will be in the other room.
Pop Quiz
1. When he and Jenny [walks / walk] to work, they hold hands.
2. They [leaves / leave] at the end of the year for a month-long vacation.
3. Her dog, cat, and chicken [gets / get] along well together.
4. When he [gets / get] angry, his face turns red.
5. She [goes / go] away every August.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. When he and Jenny walk to work, they hold hands.
2. They leave at the end of the year for a month-long vacation.
3. Her dog, cat, and chicken get along well together.
4. When he gets angry, his face turns red.
5. She goes away every August.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
I’m not sure why you talk about plural vs singular. What about “I”? I think this sentence is correct:
If I need you, I will call your room.
I understand that “I” is singular and I’m still using the verb without “s.” I learned the rule like “verbs in 3rd person (i.e. he, she, it) should be suffixed with an s.”
Thanks!
This is a very good question! You are correct that I is singular and in the case of a third person (he, she, it), the verb should usually be suffixed with an s. In your example, “If I need you, I will call your room,” the verb “call” is singular, but the word “will” is present. In this case, the word “will” is a modal auxiliary verb. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “call.” When an auxiliary verb is there, the verb does not change no matter what the subject is, e.g., I will call, you will call, we will call, they will call, he will call, she will call.
Is it OK if I don’t use the modal auxillary verb in a sentence and add ‘s’ at the end of the verb. For instance, can I use the first of the following sentences instead of second one?
I am not someone who shows my tears
or
I am not someone who will show my tears
Thanks.
In your sentence, “who” refers to “someone,” not to “I.” So depending on gender, the correct sentence would be “I am not someone who shows his tears.” OR “I am not someone who shows her tears.” Be sure to add a period at the end of the sentence.
I have little confusion about below statements.
I know “He talks to the principal” is a correct statement. (Let me know if is wrong.)
I want to know which one of the below is correct and why.
1) He and Jenny talks to the principal.
2) He and Jenny talk to the principal.
As per my guess 2) is correct, but don’t know why it is correct. I would like to know the reason.
The second sentence is correct because there are two subjects, he and Jenny. As the post states, “Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boat, courage) as a subject ever have an added s on the end.”
Please clear my doubt in below sentence on how to use the “S”.
“If She need/needs you, She will call your room.”
Can you also please explain the answer.
Thanks
In English, verbs in the present tense have an added s on the end when the subject is a third-person singular noun or pronoun (man, she). The second part of your sentence uses the auxiliary will. The verb does not require the added s after an auxiliary. Also, the pronoun she should not be capitalized.
If she needs you, she will call your room.
what if the sentence became like this,
If she really need/needs you, she will call you.
with the word really, do we still use the singular verb needs?
thank you
Adding the adverb really does not change the verb needs.
It’s not just about Singular or Plural. They stated if it is a third-person singular noun. They are talking about only the third person with a singular noun will be provided with an “s”, first-person singular or second-person singular is not valid in this case and hence, they will be provided without an “s” added to the verb. Just like, “I loves everyone.” isn’t valid because it is the first-person singular noun but “He loves everyone” is valid as ut contains a third-person. Hope this helps!
That is correct, and the second paragraph in the article covers this aspect. Jane interpreted Federico’s comment as relating more to the helping (auxiliary) verb aspect.
A question on sample SAT test 2 in The Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd Edtion, gives the word “her” as the error in the following sentence:
“Neither Ms. Perez nor Ms. Tanaka believes that watching as much television as her son Sam does will lead to anything productive.” The choices for errors were “nor”, “believes”, “her”, “will lead”, and No Error.
I thought that “believes” is wrong because nearest subject dictates verb tense; thus it should be “believe.” Also, for “her” to be wrong, it must be “their” in which case Ms. Perez and Ms. Tanaka have a son together. Can someone confirm or refute the SAT answer?
We are not sure what the SAT folks were trying to get at here either. “Her son” doesn’t seem to fit because only one son is named. However, two singular nouns connected by neither/nor should take a singular verb like “believes.” So does the SAT suggest that the answer is “Neither Ms. Perez nor Ms. Tanaka believes that watching as much television as their son Sam does will lead to anything productive”? Who knows?
What about the verbs that come after can and do? How so we add s to them?
We don’t necessarily add an “s” to the verb that comes after “can.”
Example: He can cook.
Often, the word that comes after “do” is a noun and does not have an “s” on it.
Examples: She does the work of two people. The two of them do the work of four people.
why you use an here?
we don’t necessarily add an ‘s’ to the verb……
all the question answer are really helpful….
but i have memorising problem…which i read always forget…
When you pronounce the letter s, it begins with a vowel sound (ess). In English you use an instead of a before a word that begins with a vowel or a vowel sound.
Thank you so much!
You are welcome!
How about sentences that uses ‘May’ – example: May he answers or May he answer?
The word “may” in this case is a modal auxiliary verb. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “answer” in your example. Normally the verb would change spelling in the third person singular case (I answer, we answer, they answer but he answers, she answers). When the modal auxiliary is there, the word “answer” does not change no matter what the subject is (I may answer, you may answer, they may answer, he may answer, she may answer). The correct usage would be “May he answer?”
with some do we use s or es in the verb?
for example if im saying
some say people over there are funny or some says people over there are funny
which one is correct?
Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject use an s or es at the end.
The subject in your sentence is some, which is a plural pronoun in this case (it means some people). Therefore, the plural verb say is correct.
What about ‘people/the world/everyone/no one’ ?? is there an ‘s’ behind every verb?
People is plural, so you do not add an s after the verb.
The world is singular, so it does take an s after the verb.
Everyone and no one are indefinite pronouns, and are considered singular, so you do add an s.
“why does nobody comes from here?”
is it a correct statement and why?
Your sentence (a question, not a statement) is not correct because when an auxiliary or helping verb (does) is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s to the main verb. You are also missing a capital letter at the beginning of your question.
“Why does nobody come from here?”
A more natural way to phrase your sentence would be “Why doesn’t anybody come from here?”
if we must use s with singular verbs so why we dont use s with I :for instance I goes but we say he goes or my family goes how we can explain it with I,thanks
The subject-verb agreement rules apply to all personal pronouns except I and you. Even though these pronouns are singular, they require plural forms of verbs.
what if does is used? for eg : it doesn’t suits her or it doesn’t suit her..which is the
correct one?
The word does is an auxiliary in your sentence. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “suit” in your example. Normally a singular verb would be used and it would be formed by adding an s. When the auxiliary is there, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
It doesn’t suit her.
Wow! I learned a lot especially because of the comments together with your answers.
This resource is exactly what I’m looking for.
You seem to be pretty good in English.
We are glad you found our website helpful!
Thanks for your website. It helps a lot.
I want to know how to use this sentence( no one knows or no one’s knows which one is the right)
No one is singular and not a possessive, so ‘s is not used. Also, the word the is unnecessary.
No one knows which one is right.
I have a question regarding use and form:
“he seems not to be” and “he doesn’t seem to be”
when do I use the first and the second form? which is correct? and what is the difference in use of both sentences?
The first example contains a split verb phrase. The word not is awkwardly placed in between the verb phrase seems to be. Although there is no exact rule being broken in this phrase, it is a matter of style. The second phrase contains the contraction doesn’t, which would not be preferred in formal writing. We recommend He does not seem to be.
I really dont get it :( verb is not like noun that when you add “s” or “es” makes it plural right? How will you be able to determine if the verb is singular or plural? Verb must agree with the subject right? A singular subject must have a singular verb and a plural subject requires plural verb..
And if i am correct, you make the verb plural by removing or not adding “s” or “es” in it?
Thank you so much
I think i just figured out the answer to my question by reading the comments. Thank you!
We are glad you discovered that verb plurals are formed by removing the s. English is an interesting language isn’t it?
This is a good website to learn english. thank you so much.
(I’m not so good at english, I’m French. English and French are very different language)
Yes, we agree that they are quite different! Good luck with your study of English.
my question is that when do we not have to use s with a verb for a third person?
Or is it a must to use s with a verb for a third person in any case?
You need to add an s to a verb when referring to another person (singular) unless you use the pronoun you.
Examples:
He walks his dog every morning.
She gets more work done when it is quiet.
Sam goes running after work each day.
You leave too early to carpool with us.
Thanks, but i am still confused!
when we don’t use an s with a verb for another person?
Do not add an s to the verb when using the singular pronoun you. Examples: You leave too early to carpool with us. You walk your dog every morning.
Thanks for this blog and to answer every question, I have learned so much! Reading the Lauren’s question “when do we not have to use s with a verb for a third person?”, I think I have an answer because she said she was still confused.
First, we do not need to use “s” in third person when there are an auxiliar verb: “He walks his dog every morning”/”He don’t walk his dog every morning”. Am I right?
Second, I speak spanish, and third singular person is only “he, she and it”. “You” is second person and “I” first person, then only “he/she/it” are third person (in spanish). So, the rule of “add “s” in a third person except in “you”” does not work or in english “you” is considered as a third person?
Thank you, and if I am right in my two points, is thanks to you, I have just learned it minutes ago reading your blog and answers.
(I do not use google translator, sorry if I write something wrong)
Best regards
We are pleased that you find our blogs helpful. You are correct that a verb does not require an added s after an auxiliary, however, your sentence should read “He doesn’t walk his dog every morning” or “He does not walk his dog every morning.” The singular verb does agrees with the pronoun he. You misunderstood if you thought we meant that you is third person. The pronoun you is considered second person.
How would you ask question / interrogative sentence for this:-
Q1. He took the bus.
Ans. Did he take the bus?
My question is why not “Did he takes the bus?”
If you turn your question around to make a statement you would write He did take the bus. The sentence uses the auxiliary verb did, therefore you need to use the verb take.
Currently this web site has the statement, “I Will Restore and Spirit of Victory and Praise International Spiritual Center presents Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith at “Revolve – Evolve 2012.”
I am about to change this to “I Will Restore, Inc. and Spirit of Victory and Praise International Spiritual Center present Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith at “Revolve – Evolve 2012.”
Which is correct? I believe the second is correct, which is why I am changing it. Also, I am studying for a Praxis II Exam to teach English. So on both levels this is helpful. Thanks
We agree with you that the second statement is much easier for the reader to understand than the first one.
When do we have to use will and would, could and can?please kindly clarify it to me its really confusing.
And also kindly tell me that when don’t have to use an s with the verb for another person(singular)?
As a verb, will indicates that something is expected to happen in the future, such as We will leave tomorrow. Will is also used to ask someone to do something, such as Will you please help me find my coat?
Would indicates what someone said or thought about what was going to happen or be done, such as She said she would come with us. Would is also sometimes used to make a request or an offer, such as Would you like to come with us?
Can means to be able, such as He can come with us. Could is used as the past tense of can, such as Yesterday we could see the smoke from the fire.
There are many other definitions for these words. We recommend checking Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary for more information.
The only time you do not add s to a verb for a singular form is with the pronoun you.
why do you use “s” after the verb when you use “everything”
Words like everything, anything, someone, anybody, everyone, etc. are called indefinite pronouns. They refer to an unspecified person, place, or thing. In most cases, indefinite pronouns take singular verbs, which generally end in s. Some indefinite pronouns always take a singular verb. Everything always takes a singular verb. Examples: Everything is going well at Bob’s company. Everything sounds hard.
I am a native spanish speaker, I agree with you, but when I found this in several web sites, it makes me feel confouse,why they add “S” to “keep”, Thanks!!
Happiness keeps you sweet.
Trials keep you strong.
Sorrows keep you human.
Failures keep you humble.
Success keeps you glowing.
But only God keeps you going!
The subject and verb must agree (singular or plural). Verb plurals are formed by removing the “s.”
Happiness (singular) keeps (singular) you sweet.
Trials (plural) keep (plural) you strong.
Sorrows (plural) keep (plural) you human.
Failures (plural) keep (plural) you humble.
Success (singular) keeps (singular) you glowing.
But only God (singular) keeps (singular) you going!
First and foremost, thanks a bunch for posting these information. They are very useful and I bet people who read these up can really learn.
I got another question. How about this sentence, “This plate of pasta makes your stomach go/goes crazy.” So, which is the case?
The verb makes is a transitive verb. Stomach is the direct object. You would say “makes it go.”
This plate of pasta makes your stomach go crazy.
I’ve learned so many things from you (this website).. It was really great web for someone like me whom failure in English.. after I saw all the comments and reply from you, I think I’ve know how to add -s or -es for the most verbs. thank you for helping me
Hafiz, we do not think you are a failure in English at all. Your comments are understandable, though there are a few grammar errors. Learning English is not an easy thing to do and we are glad you find our website helpful. In an effort to help you continue to improve your English, we will rewrite your comments in the style of a native American English speaker.
My name is Hafiz. I am from Malaysia. I have learned so many things from your website. It is a great website for someone like me who thinks he is a failure in English. After I saw all the comments and the replies from you, I think I know how to add -s or -es to most verbs. Thank you for helping me.
I respect how humble you are when you reply those comments ., and I need a solution for this..
“I saw all the comments”
“ALL” and “COMMENTS” in one sentence, are they correct? please explain, thanks a lot.
Whether to include “all” and “comments” together would be a matter of context and intent. If we write just “I saw the comments,” we could be suggesting we glanced at them or saw a few of many more. Pairing “all” with “comments” further quantifies what we saw by confirming that not one comment went unnoticed.
I thought an adjective can only be associated to a noun. The word “comments” is a verb (an action), so the word “all” is an adverb (not an adjective) and “comments” is a verb. Correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.
The word “comments” in this sentence communicates things and is therefore a noun. This differs from a sentence such as “He comments on the subject” in which “comments” is a verb.
The word “all” is an adjective that modifies the noun to communicate how many comments the speaker saw. Some might also interpret “all” as a collective noun modified by a prepositional phrase with an understood omission: “I saw all [of] the comments.”
I am confused between “would” and “would be”…at which type of sentence we should use “be” after auxiliary..like “what if any earthquake would occurs than the whole building would be collapsed.” or
“what if any earthquake occurs than the building would be collapsed” or
“what if any earthquake would occurs than the whole building would collapsed” or
“what if any earthquake occurs than the whole building would collapsed”
which one is better & thanks for your reply on above comments…it’s really helpful..
Use would before a verb and would be before an adjective. Also, the word any in your sentence should be an and the word than should be then. It is better to make both parts of your sentence either a question or a statement instead of a mixture of the two. In addition, since you do not want to repeat the word would, use the word should first. The word then is unnecessary. For example:
What if an earthquake should occur; would the whole building collapse? OR
What if an earthquake should occur; would the whole building be flattened? (The phrase “building be collapsed” is awkward to a native English speaker and would not be used.)
If an earthquake should occur, the whole building would collapse. OR
If an earthquake should occur, the whole building would be flattened.
May I know why would collapse? It is not would collapsed? Why is the ‘ed’ removed?
The word collapsed is past tense. Collapsed would not be correct in the following example:
If an earthquake should occur, the whole building would collapse.
So I guess my question would be, if there are two subjects or opposite count, which determines how we use the verb that follows?
For example: We can also observe that, in general, the execution time of both algorithms grows slowly when epsilon grows.
If the above sentence is grammatically correct, then I understand why “grows” after epsilon ends with “s,” but why does “grows” after “algorithms” end with “s”? Is it because the growth of the execution time is what’s linking this verb (where “time” is singular), and if so, doesn’t the plural “algorithms” imply that there are more than one execution time that’s measured?
The same applies for the following: The output of the calls is transferred to the given nodes.
I’m unsure as to why “is” is not “are” since “calls” is plural, but I’m also taking into consideration that “output” is singular. Which is the subject that determines how I use the verb?
Our Rule 2 of Finding Subjects and Verbs states “A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of.” Therefore, the subjects in each of your sentences that the verbs must agree with are time and output. Each word is singular and thus takes a singular verb. It is up to you to write your sentences to reflect what you mean:
“. . . the execution time of both algorithms grows slowly . . .” OR “. . . the execution times of both algorithms grow slowly . . .”
“The output of the calls is transferred . . .” or “The outputs of the calls are transferred . . .”
Any error?
The outputs of the call are transferred? Or
The outputs of the calls are transferred?
Although we don’t quite understand the meaning of the sentences, both are grammatically correct with a period instead of a question mark at the end.
I little bit confuse how to apply ‘es’ or ‘s’ to verb when I speak about department which has more then one person.
Department in this case is plural or singular?
The department comply or complies?
Department provide or provides?
The word department is a collective noun. Collective nouns can be tricky because they can be considered singular or plural depending on how they are used in the sentence. If these nouns are acting as a unit, use a singular verb. If the sentence is more about the people in the group than about the group as a whole, use a plural verb. It is up to the author of the sentence to make this determination. In most instances, the word department acts as a unit and is singular. If that is the case in your situation, use the singular verbs complies and provides.
I was looking for a question similar to mine and I see Olga asked it (June 30, 2012 at 4:24 am).
These collecitve nouns seem to be tricky indeed.
I often come across “Team-A craete a new case and inform Team-B of it”, instead of the somehow better sounding to me “Team-A craeteS a new case and informS Team-B of it”.
Apparently, it is really up to the author, but to me it just sounds too strange.
Could you possibly give some good sounding example sentences of collective nouns* (considered plural) with plural verbs?
*Company name/Department/Team/Family
Thanks and regards! This is a great web page.
PS: Friendly advice
It would be great to collect determinative examples (modal verbs, auxiliary verbs, collective nouns, exceptions, etc.) from all the comments and add them to the article above. To me, the article would then reach the reader much easier.
Rodriguez and Associates are relocating to a new office.
The staff are working on their personal goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
The Bears have signed a new quarterback.
The family are going on separate vacations this year.
And, thank you for your suggestion.
Thank you.
You are welcome.
my question is why we use s and es with third person pronoun
That’s simply how the language has developed. Etymology is outside the scope of our website. You may wish to do some research at your local library or on the Internet to learn more.
Thanks for your help exactly that I expected to be…
I often confused while making a sentence with dual verb like
1)she become elated.
2)she felt elated
3)she got dressed
what if the sentence represents in past tense, does it make any sense to use both verb in its past tense form?
and which one is right as i described under
1) she becomes embarrassed taking an important decision.
2) she becomes embarrasses taking an important decision.
3)she becomes embarrassed while taking an important decision.
and give me some examples which includes dual verb in different tenses…
again thanks for your help
The correct usage would be “She became elated.” The sentence is past tense. “She felt elated” and “She got dressed” are both correct.
For your second question the following are correct:
She becomes embarrassed while making important decisions. (Note that the correct word is making, not taking.) OR
She became embarrassed while making an important decision.
In English we do not usually use the term “dual verbs.” Modals or auxiliaries (sometimes called “linking” or “helping” verbs) are used in conjunction with the main verb. Here are some examples:
He will write a letter to his grandmother tomorrow. (Future tense)
He did write a letter to his grandmother last week. (Past tense)
He is writing a letter to his grandmother today. (Present tense)
She will play tennis tomorrow. (Future tense)
She did play tennis yesterday. (Past tense)
She is playing tennis today. (Present tense)
Can you please give explanation the use the addition of ‘ies’ in singular subject verb agreement?
If the verb ends in y and is preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and add es. For verbs ending in y preceded by a vowel, just add s. Examples:
carry, carries
study, studies
employ, employs
stay, stays
thank you so much i finally understand the grammar
I’m ARABIC girl.
thank you again.
We are happy to hear that you are understanding English grammar. Don’t forget the importance of capitalization and punctuation in your writing as well as proper grammar.
Is it “my breaths forms wisps,” or “my breaths form wisps,”
Thanks.
Since the word breaths is plural, use the plural verb form. “My breaths form wisps.”
Or, if you use the singular noun breath, “My breath forms wisps.”
“It contained a series of driving instructions with orders to wait for telephone calls” Why an s are present at instructions. .orders..and calls
Instructions, orders, and calls are all nouns. In English, most noun plurals are formed by adding an s. The rules in this particular blog apply to verbs, not nouns.
is this English sentence right or wrong?. is an intruction sentence from a professor from an Indian collage.
he retort:”i’m Prof.T.Ekambaram Naidu,Fouder Chairman- Managing Trustee,of the Indo Asain Academy Educution Trust, Bangalore, India warmly welcome you with wide open arm to the paradise of learning”.
Here is the sentence with proper capitalization, punctuation, and grammar: “I am Professor T. Ekambaram Naidu, the founder, chairman, and managing trustee of the Indo Asian Academy Education Trust in Bangalore, India. I warmly welcome you with wide open arms to the paradise of learning.”
When the subject in a sentence is 3rd person singular number then s or es must be put after the main verb.
Ex. 1. He goes to school
(here the subject He is 3rd person singular number)
2. She works for me.
Yes, you are correct.
so if i had the sentence. Uncle richard is one of those people who (swim, Swims) dailys. which one would i use?
The verb has to agree with the noun people, therefore use the word swim. In order to make sure you are using the correct form of the verb, you could turn the sentence around and write, “Of those people who swim daily, Uncle Richard is one of them.”
Thanks for this wonderful website. This is great.
You are welcome. We are glad you like the website.
I have question about the s or not to put s in first person ” I “. For example ” I feel like winter or I feels likr winter. Thank you.
The word winter is a season and is not used to describe the way a person feels. If you are speaking about the weather, you could say “It feels like winter,” meaning the weather feels like winter. The pronoun it takes the singular verb feels and uses the s. An example of a sentence using the pronoun I is “I feel cold.” The subject-verb agreement rules apply to all personal pronouns except I and you. Even though these pronouns are singular, they require plural forms of verbs. Therefore, with the pronoun I, use the verb feel with no s.
If everybody know/knows how to read, then book will never cease to be useful. —- in this case I don’t understand why it need to be knows when it should be singular (know) only. Please help. Thanks
Words like everybody, everything, anything, someone, etc. are called indefinite pronouns. They refer to one or more unspecified persons, places, or things. In most cases, indefinite pronouns take singular verbs, which generally end in s. Some indefinite pronouns always take a singular verb. Everybody always takes a singular verb. The singular verb in this case is knows.
If everybody knows how to read, then books will never cease to be useful.
please help me understand the proper use of commas, colon and semicolon in sentences. Please add examples.
In the English Rules section of our GrammarBook.com website, there is an entire list of punctuation rules. You can click on the specific punctuation mark and have access to rules, explanations, and examples for commas, colons, and semicolons. The blogs listed below are also devoted to these topics and include explanations and examples. Just click “Grammar Blog,” and then select a punctuation mark under “Blog Categories.” You can then choose from the following blogs:
Using Commas, Semicolons, and Colons within Sentences
Connecting Sentences with Commas and Semicolons
Commas, Part 1
Commas, Part 2
The Power of Punctuation
Commas before and in a Series
Commas with Appositives
Semicolons
Colons with Lists
Colons (Continued)
Is the sentence below grammatically correct? I am looking at the word “costs”.
The colt costs less than the beautiful horse.
Yes, it is grammatically correct.
I have learned since EMailing you that “costs” in the sentence below is correct if you are talking about the present. But “cost” is correct if you are speaking in past tense. Is that right?
The word cost is the past tense form, both singular and plural. It is also the present plural form. Costs is correct in the present tense, singular subject form.
Examples:
The colt costs less than the beautiful horse. (Present tense singular) In this case, perhaps a breeder is talking to you about horses that you are considering buying.
The colt cost less than the beautiful horse. (Past tense singular) In this case, perhaps you are talking about horses that you already bought.
Those apples cost one dollar. (present tense plural)
Those shoes cost her an entire paycheck. (past tense plural)
I have a question ,
Why we didn’t write (s) after the verb keep in this sentence
(it is suggested that translator keep the four levels in parallel) ?
Your sentence is an example of the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. The subjunctive mood is often used in “that” and “if” clauses and expresses a command, request, wish, recommendation, or suggestion. The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in formal speech and writing. Your sentence needs the word the before the noun translator. Also the word in is unnecessary.
It is suggested that the translator keep the four levels parallel.
Stated more directly:
The translator should keep the four levels parallel.
i would like to thank you for this great website
and im not a native speaker of english
but i always ask myself when do we add an s to verbs?
but i couldn’t ask at grammar class
we learned all about tenses but they didn’t teach us about this at university so i looked for it online and i found the answer on this great website
thank you again
We are glad that you found the answer you were looking for. Thank you for the kind words.
I’m a little puzled with this: “he should step forward…” or “he should steps forward”? The last one doesn’t sound good but beeing involved “he” it’s still nedeed “s” or not? Thank you very much!
The word “should” in this case is an auxiliary (helping) verb. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “step” in your example. Normally the verb would change spelling in the third person singular case (I step, we step, they step; but he steps, she steps). When the auxiliary verb is there, the word “step” does not change no matter what the subject is (I should step, you should step, they should step, he should step, she should step). The correct usage would be “He should step forward.”
I have a question with this sentence. Is it “School letters ANNOY/ANNOYS me”. I think it should be annoy as letters is a plural noun but I’m not certain.
Another thing I need clarifying is, we need not write a verb in past tense after ‘did’ as ‘did’ already signifies the past tense right?
You are correct. The verb must agree with the plural subject letters. Therefore, the plural verb annoy is correct. When you use the word did as an auxiliary (helping) verb, the main verb does not change because did signifies past tense.
I am Filipino. Being a college student, it is a must that we should know how to speak and write in english. We all know that when you speak in english, errors are not easily noticed. The hardest thing in english is when you write down all the ideas in your mind. With what you wrote and comments I’ve read, I must say I was enlightened. Thnks a lot.
Just wanna ask a thing. When should we use the word ‘has, have, and had’ in a sentence. Is it necessary even we can clearly see an adj. in past form in a sentence. Another thng that I want to clarify is the usage of ‘in, on, and at’ in a sentence. I know that ‘in’ and ‘on’ can both be used for place, time, etc. but I am quite afraid of using neither of the two for I might commit a wrong thing using one of them. I want to be good in english that’s why I keep on browsing the net for some informative stuffs I may encounter. I want to know the usage of ‘for’,’to’, and ‘with’ in a sentence. Lastly, when will I use the word ‘is’ before an adj. or a verb in past form(e.g. is formed)? Is it true that the word ‘so’ is used for a negative thought and ‘very’ is for the opposite?
Please correct my grammar if you will be seeing something to be corrected. MASSIVE THANKYOU AGAIN AND GOD BLESS.
We are pleased that you have been enlightened by our website. However, your questions are beyond the scope of what we normally answer in the blog, where we are focusing on specific topics. You will find help with some of your questions in the Grammar Rules section of the website under the English Rules tab. We also suggest that you work directly with your English professors or teaching assistants in your college.
which of these two sentences is correct:
1. May God shower you with blessings.
2. May God showers you with blessings.
I really got confused whether i’ll use singular verb or plural verb after the word God. Please enlighten me.
Thanks in advance.
The word “may” in this case is an auxiliary (helping) verb. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “shower” in your example. Normally a singular verb would be used and it would be formed by adding an s. When the auxiliary verb is there, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
May God shower you with blessings.
I’d like to ask you which of these two sentences is right :
1) Her family live in New York
2) Her family lives in New York
Please explain me the answer ! Thanks
The word family is a collective noun. Since this noun is acting as a single unit, use a singular verb. The singular form for the verb live is formed with an s.
Her family lives in New York.
You are awesome! I didn’t want to read through all the messages, but here is my example I need help with:
“The company salutes the good work you’ve done, appreciate(s) the people you are, and thank(s) you for your positive influence.”
Do I put an s on all verbs or just the first one?
The verbs all have to agree with the singular subject company. Therefore, add s to all of them to make them singular. We assume your sentence is being addressed to a work unit or to several persons. If it is addressed to only one person, then “person” needs to replace the word “people.”
“The company salutes the good work you’ve done, appreciates the people you are, and thanks you for your positive influence.”
how about this sentence…
1. budi and susi likes bakso
2. budi and susi like bakso
which one the right answer? and give the reason.
thank u
Your example sentence contains two subjects, Budi and Susi, therefore, the verb must be plural as well. The plural form of the verb like does not add an s. Note that the proper names are capitalized (I assume bakso is a food and not a name) and the sentence ends with a period.
Budi and Susi like bakso.
Are these grammatically correct sentences?
1) i just can’t believe she forces me to pay for our dinner
2) it is belongs to me OR it belongs to me
3) she let her son drive the car OR she lets her son to drive the car.
1) Your first sentence is grammatically correct with the necessary capitalization and punctuation added.
I just can’t believe she forces me to pay for our dinner.
2) The second sentence should be written:
It belongs to me.
3) Your final sentence should not contain the word to. Use of the words let vs. lets changes when the action described in the sentences occurred. Again the correct capitalization and punctuation are necessary.
She let her son drive the car. (past tense)
She lets her son drive the car. (present tense)
Your explenations are really good! So, agreeing on what you said and I’ve always been taught, is there a grammatical error?
Because the Internet is a highly promoted tool, detection and diagnosis of addiction is often difficult. Therefore, it is essential that the skilled clinician understand the characteristics which differentiate normal from pathological Internet use (PIU).
The skilled clinician is singular, but understand doesn’t end with an S.
I took this from a serious article about Internet addiction, I mean, I didn’t made it up myself. So what do you think?
Thank you so much!
The sentence is an example of the subjunctive mode. The subjunctive mode pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. The subjunctive is often used in “that” and “if” clauses in sentences that express a command, wish, request, recommendation, or suggestion. Therefore, the verb understand is correct.
I would like to ask that–
Not only did she go to the market but also to the cinema.
(the “did” is necessary here or not)
or we can simply write it as–
Not only she went to the market but also to the cinema.
The word did is necessary in your first sentence. The second sentence is not grammatically correct but could be rewritten several ways including, “She went not only to the market but also to the cinema.”
Thank you, I learned a lot!
I know this is out of subject but which sentence most correct
You’re telling me that we’ve two eggs or You telling me that we’ve got two eggs
We are glad our website has helped you. Any of the following would be acceptable:
You’re telling me that we have two eggs.
You are telling me that we have two eggs.
Are you telling me that we have two eggs?
I’m having trouble with determining the correct verb for the phrase:
My education combined with my experience make/makes me a strong candidate for …
Does ‘combined with’ suggest that the verb should be in the plural – as though it were equivalent to ‘and’?
Our Rule 7 of Subject and Verb Agreement states, “Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, or not. Ignore these expressions when determining whether to use a singular or plural verb.” Combined with is one of these expressions, therefore the verb should agree with the subject education.
My education combined with my experience makes me a strong candidate for …
Please teach me with this sentence again.
You explained that “She let her son drive the car” and you suggested it is as a past tense sentence, so the word “let” does not require “s”? So my question is, do past tense sentences don’t require “s” for the verb?
Thanks a lot,
Most regular past tense verbs do not end with the letter s. An exception is the word was, as in He was late.
Thanks a lot, you are so kind.
You are quite welcome.
why do we add s or es with third singular person.
thanks
When you speak of adding s or es, we assume you are referring to the verbs that are used with third person singular pronouns. We will give you some general guidance but there will be exceptions. When in doubt, check a dictionary. Verbs that end in s, z, sh, and ch sounds generally have es added. Examples: guess/guesses, buzz/buzzes, rush/rushes, watch/watches. However, there are also go/goes and do/does. Verbs that end in other sounds generally have only s added. Examples: free/frees, walk/walks, run/runs, sway/sways. Verbs that end in a consonant and then y will drop the y and add ies. Examples: study/studies, ready/readies, fly/flies.
I would like to know in present tense, do we add ‘s’ to the verbs that follows the 3rd person (she,he it) by having the words, always, may, often in front of it.
For example:
1). She may knock (or knocks) down the table?
2). She always walk (or walks) along the beach?
3). He often talk (or talks) to God?
4). How do we explain to students the words in the above sentences of ‘ always, may and often’? do they call prepositions of time?
Look (or looking) forward to your prompt reply.
The word may is an auxiliary or helping verb in your first sentence. It is used in conjunction with the main verb “knock” in your example. Normally a singular verb would be used and it would be formed by adding an s (she knocks). When the auxiliary verb is there, you do not add the s.
She may knock down the table.
The words always and often in your next sentences are adverbs. They modify the verbs and have no effect on their spelling, therefore the singular verbs are formed by adding the s.
She always walks along the beach.
He often talks to God.
in the below sentence, I know I must add an s to the verb ‘live’. And I want to know should I also add an ‘s’ to end of ‘come’ and ‘ask’?
”That moment when a cute girl who lives near your home come and ask for a help”
Yes, all three verbs must agree with the word girl. The article a is not necessary before the word help. Your example, although not a complete sentence, should be written “that moment when a cute girl who lives near your home comes and asks for help.”
IIMT Group of Institutions and Chifley Business School join/joins hands with each other to excel. What is the right answer and why
Your sentence has two subjects, IIMT Group of Institutions and Chifley Business School. Therefore, you need to use the plural verb join. Also, the phrase “with each other” is not necessary in your sentence.
IIMT Group of Institutions and Chifley Business School join hands to excel.
Thank you for this wonderful website. I have a question on the use of ‘s’ on singular verb and I hope you can enlighten me:
If we must have a ‘s’ after a singular noun (Mary wants… or He gets…. etc) Why don’t we have it for the following? (Vomit and Erase)
1. The stench of the dead rat made Mary vomit.
2. The teacher made Karen erase her untidy handwriting before submission.
Many thanks!
Certain verbs such as make, made, let, see, feel, and hear, when followed by an object, use a form called a bare infinitive. Your sentences contain a subject and the verb made followed by an object and an infinitive without the word to. The bare infinitive uses the verb’s root or stem, therefore there is no s. Examples:
stench (subject) + made (verb) + Mary (object) + vomit (bare infinitive)
teacher (subject) + made (verb) + Karen (object) + erase (bare infinitive)
Great site.
what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger
why’s’ is being used with ‘make’,when it is followed by you.
Thank you for the compliment. In your example sentence the verb makes must agree with the subject. The subject is the singular pronoun what. The word you is an object and does not have any effect on the word makes. The word makes would still be used if the word you was changed to me, her, him, us, or them.
You’re simply Awesome.
I have save this page all this while, and finally today, I went all through the comments. I mean all the 130+ comments…
You are really doing a great job.
I’m a Mass Communication student in University,I want my grammar to be clean..
I want you to shade more light on: the form of verb when asking a question- past or present?
Eg. What did you EAT?
You ATE what?
Want more clarification, I learnt the latter is a DIRECT QUESTION…, while the formal is INDIRECT QUESTION.. (verb must be in past tense..
Once again, good work.. I was chuffed with your great replies, I started asking my roomate questions that I saw here, *feeling like a boss*
Thank you for your kind words. We hope that going through all of the comments was instructive for you. By the way, we will mention that the English figure of speech is “shed more light on” or sometimes “shine more light on,” not “shade more light on.” Also, we’re not familiar with the word “chuffed” as you used it. We assume you meant something like “filled” or “puffed up” or “excited by.”
At any rate, direct vs. indirect questions are not so much about verb tense as they are about whom you are asking: whether you know the person well or not. If you know the person well, you may ask the question directly. If you are not so familiar with the person, you might use more words to ask the question in a courteous way. For example:
Direct question: What are you eating?
Indirect question: Would you mind telling me what it is that you’re eating? OR Could you please tell me what you’re eating?
what is the difference between “aireoplane flies high above the sky” and “aireoplane fly high above the sky”…why in the first one we added ‘s’???
The noun airplane (this is the American spelling of the word) is a singular noun and in the case of a third person (he, she, it), the verb should usually be suffixed with an s. “The airplane flies high above the sky” is grammatically correct.
then why in the second sentence we havent added ‘s’ ?
The second sentence is not grammatically correct. It should be written “The airplane flies high above the sky.” This is because airplane is singular. If plural, the sentence would be “The airplanes fly high above the sky.”
So what is meant generally is that when the subject is plural “s” should not be added?
When the subject is plural, s should not be added to the verb.
In the first example you write “your needs” at the end of the sentence. My question is should it not be need without the s, since your is plural?
The word needs is a noun in that sentence, not a verb. “Your needs” is correct because it is a plural noun indicating there is more than one “need.”
Can i use the ‘s’ after verbs with “I” like: i wants…
And if so what’s the difference between: i wnat.. And i wants
Thank you..
I wants is not grammatically correct. The subject-verb agreement rules apply to all personal pronouns except I and you. Even though these pronouns are singular, they require plural forms of verbs. Examples:
I want, you want, he/she wants
I talk, you talk, he/she talks
is it flaunt her flab. or flaunts her flab
The implied subject is she, therefore use the verb flaunts.
Kindly tell me why they use S in this sentence, although the company is in process of registration and providing no services
‘The company intends to manage Collective Investment Fund (CIF) only after successful launch and start-up phase’
We assume you mean the s in the word intends. The singular verb intends must agree with the singular subject company. Also, in order to be grammatically correct, there should be articles before the words Collective and successful and a period at the end of the sentence.
The company intends to manage the Collective Investment Fund (CIF) only after a successful launch and start-up phase. OR
The company intends to manage a Collective Investment Fund (CIF) only after a successful launch and start-up phase.
But if this is a direct quote, quotation marks should be used, and no words should be added or deleted.
“The company intends to manage Collective Investment Fund (CIF) only after successful launch and start-up phase.”
i am confuse about your Pop Quiz
–
1. When he and Jenny walks/walk to work, they hold hands.
Your answer is walk because this is plural but i’m not understand why we must put ‘s’ at hands.
-Thank you and sorry I still learning ang not good in english
The word walk in that sentence is a verb. Most verb plurals in English are formed by removing the s. The word hands in the sentence is a noun. Noun plurals are formed by adding an s.
To help you with your English, we would like to mention that the word “hye” is not a word in English. There is a greeting Hi, but that word is considered informal. Also, the word Dear used as a name would only be used as a term of endearment for someone you know well. It is also used as an adjective in a greeting followed by the person’s name. To be grammatically correct, your comment could be written as follows:
I am confused about your Pop Quiz.
1. When he and Jenny walks/walk to work, they hold hands.
Your answer is walk because this is plural but I do not understand why we must use s for hands.
Thank you and sorry, I am still learning and I am not good in English.
I’m preparing for competitive exams and I found this website extremely useful. Thank you so much.
We are happy that our website was helpful.
I dont know if i should ask this here but I am pretty lost, see this please:
”I don’t treat them badly, neither do I follow the stereotypical roles our society BESTOW/BESTOWS upon them.
What should I use? Please explain it as well, thankyou so much.
The verb must agree with the singular noun society. Therefore, use bestows.
with ‘s’ when the verb is singular and without ‘s’ when the verb is plural. . . am I right?
As long as you make clear that the rule of an added s only applies to third-person singular subjects, in most cases you are correct. There are exceptions to this rule, such as verbs following auxiliary verbs and verbs used with the pronouns I and you.
This website is amazing!
And the one answering and replying to all the questions so genuinely and fairly needs to be saluted.
Thank you.
P.S- I hope you don’t find any errors in the compliment given to you above. HAHA!
We truly appreciate the compliment.
I don’t mean to piggyback on this question, but it seems somewhat appropriate. In the case of a subject noting a combination and using a preposition, is the verb tense singular or plural?
Ex: Her personal history combined with her professional training “make” or “makes” her a suitable candidate?
Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as well as, besides, not, combined with, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.
Her personal history combined with her professional training makes her a suitable candidate.
I would like to ask, which statement below is correct.
1. The system currently displayed it as “Transferred” only.
2. The system currently displays it as “Transferred” only.
Thanks,
Both sentences are grammatically correct. It is more difficult to make sense of your first sentence, but probably could be done. The first sentence could be both grammatically correct and more easily make sense if worded something like The status is currently displayed as “Transferred” only.
Wow !
You are so amazing you have replied to all comments and that too accuratly how can one recall all the english rules and that too on tips . I do not think that I would become as good as you. What does this awaiting moderation means. And how can one learn english?
We are glad that you are impressed with our blog. Anyone can learn English and become a good writer with a lot of studying, practice, and determination. If you are serious about learning English you may want to take a class.
“Awaiting moderation” means the comment must be approved by us before being posted. Good luck!
He/She/They steals the show.
He/She/They stole the show.
I think both of the sentences are correct. However it certainly depends upon the time period. So for example I see a movie and tell my friend
1.’She(the actress) steals the show’.
2.’She(the actress) stole the show’.
Which one is the right one to use under such situation and why?
Please elaborate.
Either one is grammatically correct. “She steals the show” is present tense. Present tense is sometimes used to refer to timeless facts, such as memorable persons and to works of the past that are still in existence or enduring. “She stole the show” is past tense. It indicates an act that occurred or existed at some point in the past. In your top sentence, “They steals the show” would not be correct. It should be “They steal the show.”
I’m a first year-English student from Indonesia. I was really confused how to add suffix -s to the verbs. But now I’m so happy that I found this very helpful website. Thank you.
You are welcome, Annisa. Good luck with your study of English.
Is there any cues or signs to distinguish between consonants and vowels especially -ies or the -s?
If the verb finishes consonant＋Y：eg. Cry, Fly, Study, Carry, then add “-ies” = Cries, Flies, Studies, Carries ※This rule only works if you have a consonant before the “y”
If you have vowel, just add an “-s” ：eg. Plays, Allays, Employs, Stays
Okay, I got that, but what if there are some unfamiliar jargons, how do you know which to apply?
I think I found the answer to my question.
vowels are a,e,i,o,u, so any of those latters before “y” is “-s”. For instance, Pl”a”y+s, Empl”o”y+s?
With words ending in y preceded by a consonant, change the y to i and add es or ed. With words ending in y preceded by a vowel, just add s.
the verb after helping verb can, it should always without ‘s’? eg. She can read. He can run.
When an auxiliary or helping verb is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s.
She can read.
He can run.
I found in an another website that Every Monday, Sally (drive) drives her kids to football practice. Here why are they are adding s to the verb. Is that because sally is consider as singular? if so in ur questions Her dog, cat, and chicken gets/get along well together. why did you shown as get? Thanks for your service
In your first sentence, the subject is the singular noun Sally. The singular verb is drives. Your second sentence contains a plural subject consisting of three singular nouns: dog, cat, and chicken. The plural verb is get.
if someone loves eating all fruits should we say and why
He loves fruits or
He loves fruit
Although both are grammatically correct, it is more common to say, “He loves fruit.” In this sentence, the word fruit is used as a collective noun. The word fruit is also used as a countable noun as in “He ate two pieces of fruit.” The plural form fruits is not used as often and it generally refers to two or more different kinds of fruit. For example, one might say “We ate a variety of fruits and vegetables.” That would be grammatically correct. But it would also be grammatically correct to say “We ate a variety of fruit and vegetables.” The word fruits is often used along with the word vegetables because it sounds better. A period goes at the end of the sentence
if someone has a passion for bikes
should we say
he loves bikes …or
he love bikes
“He loves bikes” is correct because the word he is a third-person singular pronoun. Verbs with a third-person singular pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. Note that there is a period at the end of the sentence.
Thanks for your immediate response. so you mean to say whenever there is a singular verb we need to add S.
Thanks a lot for your response
Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (Sally, he, she, dog) as a subject have an added s on the end. Examples:
Sally drives
he runs
she talks
the dog barks
The following examples do not have an added s:
I drive
you run
Thanks a lot
You’re welcome.
My question is that, if we have two third person singular subjects or more at the same time in a sentence what we have to do then ? I’m little bit confused about your examples those you have given in the beginning.
If he or she needs/need me, I will be in the other room.
In this example you used verb from ‘ infinitive + s or es’
When he and Jenny walk to work, they hold hands.
While here you didn’t follow that rule, why ?
Please explain it.
Thanks.
In the first example, using or indicates a singular subject, “he” or “she.” Therefore write needs: If he [needs me] or she needs me, I will be in the other room.
The second example says “he and Jenny.” Using and indicates a plural subject, therefore write walk.
Thanks for the explanation.. if I have furthermore questions about English grammar, then should I ask here ?
You are welcome. If you have further questions, submit them under the blogs that directly relate to your questions. Note that furthermore is an adverb and should be replaced with the adjective further in your sentence.
could you tell me, which following sentence is correct?
-Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money. or
-Fifty thousand dollars are a lot of money.
-One-half of the faculty is retiring this summer. or
-One-half of the faculties are retiring this summer.
-One-half of the faculty have doctorates.or
-One-half of the faculties have doctorates.
-Fifty percent of the students have voted already.or
-Fifty percent of the student have voted already.
Use a singular verb with sums of money or periods of time. Therefore, write “Fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money.”
With words that indicate portions–some, most, all, etc.–look at the noun after of (object of the preposition) to determine whether to use a singular or plural verb. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If the noun after of is plural, use a plural verb. Therefore, write “Fifty percent of the students have voted already.”
Your example sentences using the noun faculty are more complicated because faculty is a collective noun. Our blog Subject and Verb Agreement with Collective Nouns explains that if the collective noun is acting as a unit, a singular verb should be used. If the sentence indicates more individuality, use a plural verb. In your examples, the faculty is acting individually. Therefore, write:
One-half of the faculty are retiring this summer.
One-half of the faculty have doctorates.
If I for instance should write the following sentence. Which way is correct, too add s to like or not and why?
“According to her there are lots of things he like”
The word he is a third-person singular pronoun, therefore, use the singular verb likes. Also, when starting a sentence with a dependent clause, use a comma after it. Place a period at the end of the sentence.
According to her, there are lots of things he likes.
I have a question about “look” and “looks”.
For example, if I want to say that something is delicious, nice, cute, beautiful how should I say?
look delicious/nice/cute/beautiful or looks delicious/nice/cute/beautiful ?
It depends on whether the subject of the sentence is singular or plural. Examples:
That centerpiece looks beautiful. (singular)
Those sandwiches look delicious. (plural)
I have a question about “toward” and “towards”.
Is it correct to say
“you hold no resentment towards John” or
“you hold no resentment toward John”
It seems awkward with an ‘s’ at the end, even though the subject is singular.
“Toward” is more common in American English and “towards” is preferred in British English.
Which sentence is more grammatically correct?
These accomplishments instilled great organizational skills that allow me to meet deadlines while simultaneously sending multiple tasks.
Or
These accomplishments instilled great organizational skills; that allows me to meet deadlines while simultaneously sending multiple tasks.
Or
These accomplishments instilled great organizational skills. That allows me to meet deadlines while simultaneously sending multiple tasks.
A fourth option would be to either take out the semi-colon or period and add a comma with the word “which” followed by “allow.”
Also, why do we lose the “S” in some iterations of this sentence?
Thank you.
Your fourth option is the best one, however, unless you are delegating your tasks to others, we question the phrase “sending multiple tasks.” Perhaps it might be better to write “These accomplishments instilled great organizational skills, which allow me to meet deadlines while simultaneously handling multiple tasks.”
In the first and fourth sentences, the verb allow agrees with the plural noun skills. In the first sentence, the word that is used as a conjunction. In the second and third sentences, the word that is used as a pronoun. The verb allows agrees with the singular pronoun that.
By pure luck I’ve found your website: what a fountain of information you offer online and then you even answer and help us non-English natives when we don’t seem to be able to find the answer ourself. You’re a lighthouse in a sea of grammatical doubts and traps confusing us: thank you so much for your help!
So here is my doubt of the day: I used to be sure who as a subject is followed by a verb with an s (Who does make the most mistakes, who corrects them afterwards), but today I read “Who run the world? Girls.”, which makes me wonder: if who stands for a plural word, does one skip the s? I guess not, as we may not know it stands for a plural word if we don’t know the answer to that question yet, but I’m not sure anymore. Please release me from my doubts! Thank you so much!
We appreciate the compliments about our website. The sentence “Who runs the world?” is grammatically correct. When a question is being asked, the answer is usually unknown. Therefore, the answer should not have any bearing on how the question is worded.
Is it correct to say “our selection plays” or is better “our selection play”?
We do not know the context you have in mind, nonetheless, the noun selection is singular, therefore use the singular verb plays.
Which is correct?
1. May this time of sharing and togetherness fill your home with happiness.
2. May this time of sharing and togetherness fills your home with happiness.
With or without the ‘s’?
In this case, it doesn’t matter whether the subject is singular or plural, since both would take the same compound verb: (it or they) may fill.
You have been very helpful. I suggest you to make an app for iphone or android which contains different topics and exams too. God bless you!
Thank you for the suggestion.
“He often makes mistakes”….in this sentance ,why two ‘s’ should be used?
As our blog states, when a third-person singular pronoun, such as he, is the subject, the verb has an s at the end. The word mistakes is a plural object, therefore it also ends with an s.
Why do some verbs end in s and others not?
In English, verbs in the present tense have an added s on the end when the subject is a third-person singular noun or pronoun (man, she).
I just want to ask.What if it’s a Proper Noun? Will I put s to the verb or not? ex. Nena take/takes medicine when she is sick.
Mr.Cruz teach/teaches Chemistry at Hill High School.
If the proper noun is singular, add an s.
What would be correct?
1. News like these sells like hotcakes.
2. News like these sell like hotcakes.
3. News like this sells like hotcakes.
4. News like this sell like hotcakes.
Is 2nd and 3rd are the correct answer?
“News like this sells like hotcakes” is correct.
Any body know how to cook pumpkin seeds in a microwave without them exploding … ?
Is the sentence correct? I think it should be” anybody knows”
Since you used a question mark, we assume you are asking the question “Does anybody know how to cook pumpkin seeds in a microwave without them exploding?” If you are making a statement, write “Anybody knows how to cook pumpkin seeds in a microwave without them exploding.”
I really your website. Can you please explain to me the different between mean and means? And when to use it? Thank you so much for ypur help.
There are many different definitions for mean and means, but since you submitted your question through this blog, we assume you are referring to the verb forms. In English, verbs in the present tense have an added s on the end when the subject is a third-person singular noun or pronoun (boy, girl, he, she, it, etc.). Therefore, you might write:
I mean to finish this entire bowl of food.
He means to finish this entire bowl of food.
When an auxiliary or helping verb (such as do or does) is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s. Examples:
What do you mean?
What does he mean?
What would be the proper use of “congratulate” when saying, “The family of John Doe and John Doe Publishing Company congratulates Random Company on its Centennial Anniversary.” Should congratulate have an -s or not?
Your sentence contains two subjects, family and company. Therefore, write the plural verb congratulate.
Should I say “God helps…” or “God help…”? Why?
Thank you.
In most cases the singular verb helps is used because it agrees with the singular noun God. An example is the sentence “God helps those who help themselves.” The subjunctive mode, expressed by the base form help, is used when a desire or wish is expressed such as “May God help you.”
Please let me know which of one the following is a correct sentence.
The dog bite him or The dog bites him.
Again,
Rahul plays guitar or Rahul play guitar.
As discussed in this grammar lesson, you have subjects in both sentences that are third-person singular nouns. Therefore, use the singular verbs bites and plays.
Is it proper to say “i loves her” or “i likes her.?
No. As the blog states, with the singular pronoun I, there is never an added s at the end of a verb. Write “I love her” and “I like her.”
Do we add s?
Me and my family ( love, loves) to go to the beach.
Why?
As our blog I vs. Me explains, you need to use the subject pronoun I in your sentence, not the object pronoun me. Since your sentence has two subjects, family and I, use the plural verb love.
My family and I love to go to the beach.
How do you use the verbs has and have?
Can you give me an example?
Has is used with third person singular nouns and pronouns. Examples:
He has an extra ticket to the play.
She has a friend who is visiting.
The dog has a new toy.
Have is used with plural nouns and certain pronouns. Examples:
I have an extra ticket to the play.
We have a friend who is visiting.
The dogs have new toys.
Has and have can also be used as auxiliaries with other verbs. Examples:
He has used all his frequent flyer miles.
I have used all my frequent flyer miles.
How do we use the verbs were and was?
Was and were are past tenses of the verb to be. Use was only with singular nouns and pronouns.. Examples:
I was late to the movie.
He was late to the movie.
My friend was late to the movie.
They were late to the movie.
You were late to the movie.
The word were replaces was in sentences that express a wish or are contrary to fact. This is called the subjunctive form. Examples:
If Joe were here, you would be sorry.
I wish I were on vacation.
what would be correct??
Does Alan deserve a chance?
or
Does Alan deserves a chance?
Does Alan deserve a chance?
do i put S to the verbs?
The thing he likes the most about his job is that he lives in Dubai and travels around the region, meets new people, deals with challenges, sees the result of his work by the growth of the business and he likes working
or
The thing he likes the most about his job is that he lives in Dubai and travel around the region, meet new people, deal with challenges, see the result of his work by the growth of the business and he likes working
We recommend rewriting the sentence:
The thing he likes the most about his job is that he lives in Dubai and travels around the region meeting new people, dealing with challenges, and seeing the result of his work by the growth of the business.
Could you please explain to me if in the following case I should use a “s”, and why?
“These explain(s) everything”
Thanks
The subject of your sentence is the plural word these. The verb must agree with the plural subject. As the blog states, “With plural nouns there is never an added s at the end of a verb.” Therefore, explain is the correct plural form of the verb.
I am confuse with this sentence, please help me with this one.
He sings very well. (i know this one is correct)
How about this?
“You can see by the way he sing/sings”
Thank you
Verbs used with a third-person singular subject pronoun, such as he, have an added s on the end. Therefore “You can see by the way he sings …” is correct.
So this mean that when s is added, the verb is singular, Right?
Plural subject with plural verb(without s)and singular with singular(with s) ……
Am i right?
Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (e.g., he, she, man, dog) as a subject have an added s on the end. Verbs used with singular pronouns (e.g., I, you) do not have an added s.
Could I just check, which is correct and why?
John and Sally want/wants to join in for dinner.
Thanks!
Your sentence contains the plural subjects John and Sally. Therefore, the plural verb want is correct.
mom want to talk to her or mom wants to talk to her..
Since Mom is a singular subject, use the singular verb wants.
Mom wants to talk to her.
Could you please tell me which one is correct…and why?
me and my kids are going to england.
my kids and i are going to england.
“My kids and I are going to England.” Please see our blog I vs. Me for more information.
Which is correct?
When Em point out to Mike that they are all visitor to the house.
or
When Em points out to Mike that they are all visitor to the house
Many thanks!
In your dependent clause, the noun visitors should be plural in addition to the verb points. Write “when Em points out to Mike that they are all visitors to the house.”
The woman who _________ Apples
also _________ Oranges.
(A)Sells/Sells
(B)Sell/Sells
(C)Sells/Sell
(D)Sell/Sell
Which one is the correct answer and why?
Answer (A) is correct, without capitalizing the word sells. As the blog states, verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. The subject woman is a third-person singular noun. Apples and oranges should not be capitalized in your sentence.
some of my friends wrote this
“Although I feel jealous of you guys since you are now graduates and I am not ”
i think it’s “graduate not graduates”
Am i true or not??
The plural noun graduates is correct. Note that the clause is not a complete sentence as written.
plz let me know if these sentences are correct….
not confirmed yet.
he has become a father…
“Not confirmed yet” is not a complete sentence. An example of a complete sentence is “The date is not confirmed yet.”
Your second sentence needs correct capitalization and punctuation.
He has become a father.
What about sentences such as this one?
The driving test requires that he drive/drives carefully.
I think it’s the former but can’t pinpoint why.
Thanks!
You are correct about “drive” because the sentence requires the subjunctive voice. In addition to hypothetical and wishful situations, the subjunctive mood is often used for demands and requirements. Therefore, the verb drive is correct.
Should we say : The talented student always ask questions OR The talented student always asks questions?
The subject student is a third-person singular noun, therefore use the singular verb asks.
The talented student always asks questions.
I know it sounds stupid but what is the reason for adding “s” after a verb with a third person singular noun or pronoun? And why not with the others? What for? There should be reason for this, such as convenience.
Thank you.
We know it sounds stupid, but that’s just the way the language is. It’s almost like asking why the sky has to be blue.
He sings songs when he listens to music.
Is this correct?
Yes, it is correct.
in grammar what is right ? my sister hanna always help me or my sister hanna always helps me
As the blog states, a verb with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject has an added s on the end. Sister is a third-person singular noun. Therefore, write helps.
I would like to know, which one of the following sentences is correct.Could you please explain to me. Thanks.
– Answer all questions
– Answers all questions
or
– Answers all question
In an imperative sentence the implied subject is “you.” As the blog states, “With plural nouns (but also the singular pronouns I and you) there is never an added s at the end of a verb.” Therefore, use the verb answer. The word all implies more than one question. Therefore, the sentence “Answer all questions” is correct.
I want to ask.don’t sit on the table or don’t sit in the table
now which one is correct?
Use the preposition on.
Don’t sit on the table.
I need to ask that . why we do not add s or es with verb when the subject is “I” , it is also singular. why do we add s or es with verb only with subject third person singular???
Please see our response of February 28, 2015, to Chaewon above.
i Have a question. After the word “people” which form of the verbs should I use?
As the blog states, people is a plural noun. Therefore, there is no added s at the end of the verb.
Can you teach me how to refer a group of people that making payment. How should I name them? payment team or payments team?
Thanks
We assume you are talking about a group of people at a workplace whose job is to process payments. They could be called either the “payments team” (since they make payments) or the “payment team” (similar in form to a complaint department, which deals with complaints).
Does the printer work?
Does the printer works?
Which one is correct and why?
If you turn the question around to place the subject first, you would say, “The printer does work.”
When writing a resume which form is correct?
I am looking through a resume for my friend. I am used to seeing an “s” at the end an action verb. She has purposely NOT added an “s” to those words. It looks and sounds really odd to me.
Her skills are in the customary form with a bullet in front, for example: “Communicate well and establish rapport with administrators, colleagues, and employees”….I think it should be: “Communicates well and establishes rapport with…..”
thank you in advance for your response!
Your friend is correct. The verbs should agree with the pronoun I. The tense of verbs in a bullet list should be past tense for previous jobs and present tense for a job that the applicant currently holds. Therefore, for previous jobs, your example would be written as follows: “Communicated well and established rapport with administrators, colleagues, and employees.”
when do we not add s to the third person in simple present???
We assume you are referring to adding s to a verb. With third-person plural nouns, the plural pronoun they, and the singular pronoun you, there is no added s at the end of the verb. Also, the verb does not require the added s after an auxiliary.
I want to ask about the word no. Example no lie/no lies. The word ‘no’ has to be put as singular or plural?
The word no as an adjective may be singular or plural.
1) Why do we use s or es for third person singular and why not for other Ist person and second person.
2)How is past perfect tense in direct speech changed to indirect speech.
1) This is how the language has evolved. (see our response of February 28, 2015, to Chaewon above.)
2) We are not sure of what you mean. Could you be specific?
Which one is correct:
Who else miss this?
Or
Who else misses this?
In most cases the singular verb misses would be correct.
Please tell about that,
We add “s or es” at the end of a verb when singular subject is used. And we know that the word “i” is singular then why we did not add “s or es” with verb.
As we mention in the first paragraph of this article, the subject-verb agreement rules apply to all personal pronouns except I and you. Even though these pronouns are singular, they require plural forms of verbs.
I wanted to ask you about if the verb ends with (s)
Example:- miss
If a third-person singular pronoun or a singular noun (he, she, boat, courage) is the subject, add es to a verb in the present tense that ends in ss.
I want to know the use of has and have…can u please tell u the proper uses of has and have
Has and have are both used to show possession. Has is used with third person singular nouns and pronouns. Have is used with plural nouns and the pronouns I, you, we, and they. Examples:
Chris has a new car.
She has a new car.
I have a new car.
They have a new car.
I have one more doubt about the usage of ‘ed’… when is ‘ed’ used verb? and is there any rule for the usage of has/have with ‘ed’
The past tense is formed by adding -ed to many verbs in the English language. The words has and have can be used as an auxiliary before some verbs. Examples:
She has waited a long time for this.
We have waited a long time for this.
which one should I use?
1. Welcome to the visit of our Sister School – ABC school of China.
2. Welcomes our Sister School – ABC school of China
3. Welcome: ABC school of China
Also should it be “Welcomes” or “Welcome” in #2 and why?
Thanks in advance,
We will assume that you wish to hang a welcoming banner. You have many options, just three of which could be:
We welcome our sister school, the ABC School of China.
The XYZ School welcomes our sister school, the ABC School of China.
The students, teachers, and staff of XYZ School welcome the students and teachers from our sister school, the ABC School of China.
Is it proper to write “I have worked in the customer service and sales fields or field’s?
There is no reason to use an apostrophe in the word fields. Rules for apostrophes can be found here.
Is it “I just manipulates/manipulated things to my advantage
If you are writing about one event that happened in the past, use the past tense verb manipulated. Use the singular verb manipulate if you are referring to something that is ongoing.
She eats toast and drinks juice.
Is this sentence correct?? About the “s” in both of the verbs…
Yes, the sentence is correct.
What if the noun is plural?
Example: He writes books
Or
He write books?
The word books is the object. The verb must agree with the subject, which is he. Therefore, write “He writes books.”
Please which one of my sentences are correct?
Can l say …does it matters or does it matter
Does it matter?
Which of the sentences is correct and please clarify?
God loves you.
God love you.
Both sentences could be correct. “God loves you” is a simple declarative sentence. “God love you” is an exhortatory sentence whose meaning is “May God love you.”
I want to build a website and which one is correct:
Allseasonled.com or allseasonsled.com ?
There is no right or wrong way to name a website address. Either option should be fine.
My real concern is, which verb does God take? Plural or singular.
The word God is a third-person singular noun. Therefore, use a singular verb.
At the extremity of man,God begins
At the extremity of man,God begin. Which of the sentences is correct.
Follow the rule in the post and place an added s on the end of the verb to agree with the singular noun. You are missing a space after your comma and a period at the end of the sentence.
At the extremity of man, God begins.
in singular case, when I putted some words between pronoun and verb.so could I place ‘s’?? example:
(when she trying to explain/explains whatever she think/thinks).
The third-person singular pronoun she takes the singular verbs tries and thinks. Also, to explain is an infinitive. Therefore, the base form of the verb explain is used:
when she tries to explain whatever she thinks
OR
when she is trying to explain whatever she thinks
“A question was raised as to whether each of the supplementals need/needs signatures”
Which “need” is correct in this case?
The subject each uses the singular verb needs.
Thanks for your informative website…
Would you please give me more explanation about the verb “Let”….. Considering the present tense, which of the following sentences are correct?: “She let me use her car” or “She lets me use her car”.
Thanks in advance
In the present tense, a third-person singular noun or pronoun uses lets. Therefore, write “She lets me use her car.” The past-tense form is let.
I still don’t know how to apply the rules in my case. Please help me with this.
What does your notebook need/needs to be perfect?
Thank you
Your sentence contains the auxiliary does. When an auxiliary or helping verb is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s.
What does your notebook need to be perfect?
please explain and clarifie this word.
my regards.
“My regards” means “my best wishes.”
if you win 20million and your spouse needs 19million to be bailed out,what will you do?please explain why bail have to carry ed
“To be bailed” is the passive infinitive form of the verb bail. It consists of the infinitive of be with to and the -ed form of the verb bail.
the simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stop in the past.why starts and stops carries s
The singular verbs starts and stops agree with the singular noun duration.
I have a question
Do we say “give a child book and let’s the magic begin” or “give a child book and let’s the magic begins ”
Thanks!
Give a child a book and let the magic begin.
Are you able to publish a summary of when to use “s” and when not to use it? There are too many different types of scenario where “s” is not needed. For example: the verbs after “can” does not need “s” &
“Does he speak English?”
Thank so much
It would be difficult to include every scenario where you do not add s to a verb in our post. That is why we allow our readers to post questions. An auxiliary is sometimes used in conjunction with the main verb. A verb does not require the added s after an auxiliary. We see from your next submitted comment that you understand this.
For “Subject + auxiliary + adverb + main verb” which sentence is correct?
1. She can sometimes beat me in a race.
2.She can sometimes beat me in a race.
Both are the same and grammatically correct.
Which will be correct in the sentence “She can sometimes beat/beats me in a race”. Please assist by explaining. Thanks.
The helping verb can is used with the verb beat. A verb does not require the added s after a helping verb.
I have a question. Why is it that there is a Bible verse that says,”what will it profit a man if he “gain” the whole world but “lose” his soul?” Why is it that there are no “s” on the quoted words?
The verbs “gain” and “lose” are in the subjunctive mode, which is used to express a hypothetical thought (indicated by the “if”). The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects (“man”) with what we usually think of as plural verbs (“gain,” “lose”).
For this sentence “women have a lot of secret desire, she want from man” should it be want or wants?
The sentence is not standard English, and it requires a complete rewrite.
She is turning 18 years old today? Is it correct to use the adverb ‘today’ when constructing present progressive sentences? Thank you
Yes.
Just an example ” drinks kill/kills people everywhere, it make/makes them lose their soul.If “kill.” Isn’t the word “drinks” is referred to by ” it.”later on ?
We would recommend recasting your sentence as follows:
Drinking kills people. It makes them lose their souls.
Why in sentence “the position” you dont add s in “caught”?? “The position” is singular! Thanks
The rules in this post apply to present tense verbs. The past-tense verb caught (see the first example) never uses an s.
Success needs compromise or success needs compromises?
Either one is grammatically correct.
She goes to McDonalds and eat/eats two burgers.
please help. eat or eats?
As the post states, if there is a third-person singular pronoun (she) as the subject, the verb has an added s: She goes to McDonald’s and eats two burgers.
“You pressed on where it hurt.” Should it be “it hurt” or “it hurts”?
If it still hurts, write hurts. If it no longer hurts, use the past tense hurt.
which is correct.
I had a second thoughts or
I had a second thought?
The following are grammatically correct:
I had a second thought.
I had second thoughts.
Do I need to add a “s” for this sentence?
All these accounts need/needs to be updated.
Thanks
As the post states, with plural nouns there is never an added s at the end of a verb. The subject accounts is plural, therefore use need.
pls help me with this sentence, which one is correct.
this boy wants to challenge me or this boy want to challenge me?
Should the word “want” have an (s)
As the post states, verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. Boy is a third-person singular pronoun. Therefore, write “This boy wants to challenge me.”
“If your trainer isn’t doing one or more of the things above, you should speak to him and request he do so.”
Should the sentence use “he does” or “he do”?
Your sentence is an example of the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. In your example, where a request or wish is being expressed, he do is correct. More information can be found in our post The Subjunctive Mood.
If you put (s) after a noun is the verb that follows to be singular or plural?
for example, which is correct:
…the sample(s) is not suitable OR
…the sample(s) are not suitable.
thanks.
A term ending in “(s)” is both plural and singular. A parenthetical plural verb must correspond to the parenthetical ending. The Chicago Manual of Style does not recommend using such devices. If you cannot avoid it, write ” … the sample(s) is (are) not suitable.”
S should be used with verbs that comes after singular third person . S not to be used for others verbs . Is this statement correct?
There are errors in your sentences. S should be used with verbs that come after a third-person singular noun or pronoun. Note that the verb come does not have an s, since it must agree with the plural noun verbs. Verb plurals are formed by removing the s.
First of all tnks for the great tips! Lately I’ve been having a doubt about how to use 2 verbs related to a third person pronun in a single sentence, can I use the s end in both of the verbs? Like in “Everyday she goes to the restaurant and order/s pizza”, “He works downtown but live/s in a farm” and “She eats bread and drink/s wine.
If the subject is singular, both verbs should be singular. Since your subjects are third-person singular pronouns, add s. In your first sentence, every day should be two words. Your second sentence should read “He works downtown but lives on a farm.”
Do we need to omit the s at the end of verbs like makes when changing an affirmative statement to question form.
The s is not omitted in every question. Examples:
Is this where he makes his birdhouses?
Do you think she makes friends easily?
Sometimes the s is omitted. Examples:
Did he make you a birdhouse?
Can she make you a cake for your birthday?
The s is dropped when the main verb is accompanied by a helping verb or verbs.
May I seek for your advice on which one of the two sentences below is correct?;
Scenting can help makes a real difference to your business
OR
Scenting can help make a real difference to your business
Your sentence uses the auxiliary can. When an auxiliary or helping verb is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s. Therefore, use the verb make, and use a period at the end of your sentence.
Scenting can help make a real difference to your business.
what about “your hair needs you to stay relaxed” is the s necessary?
Yes.
Please tell me why ‘s’ is not coking at the end of ‘sit’ in the given below sentence.
Pretty girls sit like this
The word girls is a plural noun. As the post states, “With plural nouns (but also the singular pronouns I and you) there is never an added s at the end of a verb.”
Does 8:30am PDT work for you? Why do we not use “works” here? t Does is singular and so thus the subject the time which is singular. Why do we sue work and not works?
Verbs may be classified as principal or auxiliary. A principal verb is one that can stand alone to express an act or state. An auxiliary verb is used with a principal verb to form a verb phrase. In the question, “Does 8:30 am PDT work for you?” work is the main verb and does is the auxiliary. As an auxiliary verb, do or does is always followed by the base form of the main verb, which in this case is work.
Can you please explain this sentence :
“Everyone stay low and no one gets hurt.”
The word “gets” includes an “s” is because that ” no one” is singular. But why the word “stay” does not have an “s” and “everyone is also singular. Thanks
The sentence is not ideal. “Everyone stay low” is a command, but “and no one gets hurt” is an informal way of saying “and no one will get hurt.” In other words, everyone should stay close to the ground to avoid injury.
Which sentence is correct” I made it look/looks like an accident ”
“Making it look like a suicide”
The following is a correct sentence:
“I made it look like an accident.”
“Making it look like a suicide” is not a complete sentence.
Why the word “look” does not have an “s” even though it is after the word “it”
In the sentence, think of “look” as an infinitive with no “to”: “I made it [to] look like an accident.” In this case, “made” means “caused”: I caused it to look like an accident.
why man is written men in prular form not mans
I am trying to find an explanation to the sample that was given in my study guide. It said not to add “s”. This is the sample, It is important that Vanessa sent her resume immediately. Would you please explain to me if there is some kind of exception. Thank you.
The past-tense verb sent never has an added s. If you meant to write send rather than sent, you may wish to read our post The Subjunctive Mood.
i’v done all works or i’v done all work (which one is right)
Neither sentence is correct. The following sentence is grammatically correct:
I’ve done all the work.
“she watched him dispose of a large slice of cheese”
why there is no -s for the verb “dispose” after “him”?
The bare infinitive (base form of the verb) is used after certain principal verbs such as watch, see, hear, feel, help, let, and make, followed by an object.
I’m confused. So, which sentence of these two is correct? And why? 1. May God help you! 2. May God helps you! Warm thanks!
The word may in this case is an auxiliary (helping) verb. It is used in conjunction with the main verb help in your example. When the auxiliary verb is there, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
May God help you!
Is this a correct statement?
‘They always go to Singapore on holidays’
is that right to add ‘s’ at the end of ‘holiday’?
In American English, your sentence is grammatically correct with a period at the end. A holiday is a day on which one is exempt from work in commemoration of an event. In British English, the word holiday means vacation. Therefore, the s is omitted.
What is the procedure of adding (s,es) after (o)?
photo= photos
hero= heroes
and many more… please clarify this one with detail.
There is no rule. You just have to use a dictionary.
if there any verb that must not put s even that is singular ?
Yes. Verbs that are used with I and you do not use s. Also, verbs used with an auxiliary verb and a third-person singular noun or pronoun do not use s. For example: He will drive to the store.
when ask with does, the verb in third person is addes s
When the verb ask is used with the auxiliary verb does and a third-person singular noun or pronoun, there is no s added.
Example: He does ask a lot of questions.
I just want to ask you if these two sentences are correct. I’ll never let someone straight up disrespect you.
I’ll never let someone call you out your name.
Shouldn’t we add an “s” to the verb “disrespect” and “call” cause someone is a singular ?
You’re doing a great job by the way.
We do not add s in this case because the base form of the verb is used after certain verbs such as let, followed by an object. Also, writing “your name” in your second example is not necessary. In your second sentence, the idiom you are trying to express may be “I’ll never let someone call you out by name.”
“He didn’t knew”
Is that sentence correct? Or can we use a verb after a verb like “did”?
You can use a verb after an auxiliary or helping verb such as did; however, when you use an auxiliary, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
The sentence is written “He didn’t know.”
You wrote, “The singular form of work is works”
We were taught that adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ to words makes them plural.
Were my teachers wrong? Or am i missing some grammatical rules?
Eagerly awaiting an answer
Adding s or es to nouns makes them plural. This post is referring to verbs.
“a carpenter makes the furniture ” or”a carpenter make the furniture” which one is right
The singular verb makes agrees with the singular subject carpenter.
What happens if I forget put S on the third person singular verb?
If you forget the s on a verb that is used with a third-person noun or pronoun, your sentence will not be grammatically correct.
Which sentence is correct?
Two students of JBS school disturbs the class and damages the school property.
or
Two students of JBS school disturb the class and damage the school property.
As the post says, only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. Students is a plural subject. Therefore, the plural verbs disturb and damage are correct.
I am interested in the second room / I am interested on the second room
which one is correct and why?
Thank you very much.
This question does not apply to our topic of When to Add s to a Verb. Please see our post Problems with Prepositions for our response.
May you please explain to me why “blessings” and “geetings” are added “s” and rules are used on those sentences below while they show simple continues tense.and also explain to me a little bit about “recommendations” why is added “s”.
1. may god showers help with blessings
2.The implementation of its recommendations.
3.seasons greetings.
4.Deliver Surprise and Delight in Animated Greetings
Thanks.
The words blessings, greetings, and recommendations are all plural nouns. The rules in this post apply to verbs.
please which should I add to this sentence to make it correct….
The woman who…….. apples, also……… oranges.
a) sells, sells
b) sell, sells
c) sells, sell
d) sell, sell
Woman is a third-person singular noun. Therefore, a) is correct.
Please give me some examples of You; sentence. I still don’t know when to add s’ or not when using you’. Example I don’t know if this sentence is correct… You rock or you guys rocks.
As the post states, with the singular pronouns I and you there is never an added s at the end of a verb.
You rock.
You guys rock.
I rock.
please help me. I want to know whether i need to add an s in the word “come” for e.g
Out “comes” the swimsuit, suncream, cap and sunglasses
or it it Out “come” the…..
i am so confused on this, i would love a response to this little predicament!
Your sentence contains several subjects; therefore, you need to use the plural verb come.
which one is the correct grammar?
Don’t let that person goes or dont let that person go?
We do not add es to the verb go in that sentence because the base form of the verb (go) is used after certain verbs such as let, followed by an object (that person).
Don’t let that person go.
How about when you are referring to various groups or tribes, can you use peoples instead of people? If yes, then is peoples a plural noun?
Please recommend a book that can help improve one’s grammar. Thanks
Yes, peoples is a plural noun. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines peoples as “a body of persons that are united by a common culture, tradition, or sense of kinship, that typically have common language, institutions, and beliefs, and that often constitute a politically organized group.”
Example: The native peoples of Mexico are known as Aztecs or Mayans.
We, of course, recommend our own book, The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, by Jane Straus, Lester Kaufman, and Tom Stern.
In this sentence : The family are going on separate vacations this year. Family is singular so why is it not using “The family is going on separate vacations this year”? The noun here becomes “vacations” and not “the family” but how do i explain why we choose the former as noun here?
Our post Subject and Verb Agreement with Collective Nouns explains this. Family is a collective noun. If the noun is acting as a unit, use a singular verb. If the sentence indicates more individuality, use a plural verb. Your example sentence indicates individuals acting separately; therefore, the plural verb are is used. The sentence could be recast as The family members are going on separate vacations this year.
If the following statement is grammatically correct, “Time will tell if he takes or does not take the class,” why isn’t there an “s” on the second use of the verb, “take”?
The second use of the verb take is used with the auxiliary or helping verb does. When you use an auxiliary, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
I have the book and can’t seem to find this section. I was hoping if anyone could kindly please point out where this rule is located.
This particular topic is touched upon in the “Subject-Verb Agreement” section of the book. Due to space and scope considerations, we could not explore every aspect of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization in the book. The book gives a good foundation of rules and guidelines, and the website is a useful tool if you wish to explore additional advanced topics in depth.
Just a follow-up (or follow up, whichever is correct) from my previous comment, would the verb “help” in the following sentence be incorrect?
“Forms of to be or to have that help other verbs to form special tenses…
Should the verb help include an s? i.e., “that helps other verbs to form…”
The subject “Forms” is a third-person plural noun. As the post states, only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject ever have an added s on the end.Therefore, help is correct.
Used as a noun or adjective follow-up contains a hyphen. When used as a verb, follow up does not have a hyphen.
How to write word “make” in this sentence:
Nature make(s) marvels every day.
Nature is it, but verb reffers to plural word (marvels, many of them) …
The subject of the sentence determines which verb form to use. The word nature is the subject of your sentence. As the post states, if there is a third-person singular noun as the subject, an s is added to the verb. Therefore, makes is correct.
Could you please explain why the verb in the phase below does not come with “s” (registers) or in the infinitive form (to register)?
“the company saw the market register a solid gain”
Should it be? “the company saw the market registers a solid gain” or “the company saw the market to register a solid gain”
Thanks
The bare infinitive (base form of the verb, in this case register rather than registers) is used after certain principal verbs such as watch, see (saw), hear, feel, help, let, and make, followed by an object.
“The company saw the market register a solid gain.”
Does singular or plural form of verb matter while writing a fact?
Ex. If following sentence is a fact then would it be appropriate to write:
Trees grows in the direction of sunlight
Or
Trees grow in the direction of sunlight
No, it only matters whether the noun is singular or plural: Trees grow in the direction of sunlight.
If noun is before the verb than when we use ‘s’. Eg: the bus____(go) to delhi.
The subject of your sentence is the third-person singular noun bus. As the post says, verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s (or es) on the end. Therefore, the verb goes is correct. Your sentence should begin with a capital letter, and the word Delhi should be capitalized.
how about when we add s on verb in some tenses.so when we talk in general we should put s on verb right? all tenese?I’m so sorry if my grammar was not good
The rules above apply to verbs in the present tense.
Would a singular or plural verb be used when “one or more” acts as a stand-alone subject in the following sentence?
1) One or more need to be corrected?
OR…
2) One or more needs to be corrected?
When a singular and a plural subject are joined by or, the verb agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it. Determine the noun you are referring to in the sentence, and follow this rule. Example:
One or more [errors] need to be corrected.
What if the sentence is for insight? And I used the word EVERYTHING, how does the verb go? Example: “Not EVERYTHING that SPROUT/SPROUTS is a new beginning. Sometimes, it’s the end of everything.”
Please correct my grammar. Thank you.
The word everything is a singular (collective) pronoun; therefore, it requires the singular verb sprouts.
which one is correct ” Mother made Sam tide /tides his room before allowing him to go out with his friend? Please explain. Thanks
The correct verb is tidy. The base form of the verb, in this case tidy, is used after certain principal verbs such as watch, see (saw), hear, feel, help, let, and make (made), followed by an object (his room). You will often see it as a verb phrase, tidy up: Mother made Sam tidy up his room before allowing him to go out with his friend.
Who eat sandwich?
Who eats sandwich?
The correct sentence is Who eats a sandwich? OR Who eats the sandwich?
The singular subject Who agrees with the singular verb eats.
Which one is correct?
1. There are a deluge of arguments in favour of my stance.
2. There is a deluge of arguments in favour of my stance.
3. There are a number of arguments in favour of my stance.
and which one is subject in the above sentences?
Thanks
The subject of the first two sentences is the singular noun “deluge.” The word “number” is the subject of the third sentence. The expression “a number” is followed by a plural object of a preposition (“arguments”), which signals use of a plural verb (“are”) for the collective noun (“number”). Therefore, sentences 2. and 3. are grammatically correct. Please see our post The Number vs. A Number for more information.
Is this correct?
“I then started to look around the neighborhood while a tree with wide pink leaves keeps me in shade.”
(can you tell me if it’s correct and after that rephrase it if there is a better way to say it)
We recommend keeping your verb tenses consistent. Since the verb in the main clause, “started,” is past tense, the verb in the dependent clause would be as well: “I then started to look around the neighborhood while a tree with wide pink leaves kept me in shade.” You might also consider including “the” before “shade” for extra accuracy and clarity, although your omission of “the” would still be stylistically acceptable.
You said that the singular subject who agrees with the singular verb eats. Ex who eats a sandwich ? Not who eat a sandwich?so I want to ask you if Who refer to plural Subject we must not add s to the verb right? Please give me the answers and explain thank you
When who is serving as an opening interrogative (Who eats a sandwich?), it is typically singular in reference. Cases in which who takes a plural verb in a question would be when it is a relative pronoun in a restrictive clause, e.g., Are those the kids who eat the sandwiches?
As it falls, it will start exhibiting the qualities of the objects it gets in contact.
get or gets?
We recommend rewriting your sentence to “As it falls, it will start exhibiting the qualities of the objects it contacts.” As the post states, a third-person singular noun as a subject uses a singular verb with an added s. Since it is a third-person singular noun, use the singular verb contacts.
Which is correct?
‘Take minutes at every event/events’
(assuming the sentence is made with a bullet in front)
The word every is used with a singular noun: “Take minutes at every event.”
It was indeed a good website for a basic English learner. I have a question.
1.An aeroplane fly on the air.
2. An aeroplane flies in the air.
Which one is correct?
Thanks
The subject airplane (American English spelling) is a third-person singular noun. Therefore, use the singular verb flies. The correct preposition is in.
An airplane flies in the air.
Athens, for example, only allows a certain number of cars into the city center each day.
Here the verb form is “allows” because of the singular subject, which is Athens. Is my understanding correct?
Thanks.
Yes, you are correct.
Why does ‘might’ change verb plurality?
It adds value.
It might add value.
Why should we use s or es with a third person singular number subject?
This is how the third-person singular of regular English verbs is conjugated. It is a built-in part of their structure meant to ensure subject-verb agreement.
Okay, here is a real-life example from an online article I read the other day. “Lawmakers like Chuck Schumer shed crocodile tears over non-whites who get denied access to this country.”
“Lawmakers” is plural, which would take the plural “shed.” But “Chuck Schumer” is singular, which would call for “sheds”
I think the main subject is “Lawmakers” and thus “shed.”
But what if the sentence read, “Chuck Schumer and other lawmakers shed/sheds crocodile tears…” etc. I think that again “shed” would be correct.
What do you say?
In your first example sentence, the plural noun lawmakers is the subject. Your second sentence contains two subjects: Chuck Schumer and lawmakers. Both sentences contain plural subjects; therefore, the plural verb shed is correct.
Is this right?
“And all of them freak(s) me out.”
Thank you!
The verb freak must agree with the plural pronoun “them.” As the post states, “With plural nouns there is never an added s at the end of a verb.”
“And all of them freak me out.”
Which is correct?
1) …and you, Josie ( is are) beautiful.
2)…and you who ( think thinks) that I am (a) nobody.
Thanks.
1) …and you, Josie, are beautiful. The second-person pronoun you takes a plural verb.
2) …and you who thinks/think that I am (a) nobody. The relative pronoun who makes this sentence tricky. It rather than the subject you commands the verb choice. If we’re communicating a singular you, it’s “you who thinks.” If we’re communicating a plural you (I’m speaking to several of you), it would be “you who think.”
What is right?
To express my feelings towards him. or To express my feelings toward him.
Our Confusing Words and Homonyms section says, “The Associated Press Stylebook insists on toward, but both are acceptable and mean the same thing.”
Is this statement correct?
Our memory lets us do things the right way while intelligence lets us do things in a creative way
The sentence is grammatically correct with a comma before while and a period at the end.
In a pop quiz I was asked the following: FILL IN THE GAP: The board of directors demanded that he_______ at once. Is the answer to re-sign, resign, will resign or has resigned. Of course the answer was “resign.” Would “resigns” (with s) be correct also ?
The subjunctive form of the verb resign is used after the verb demanded because it indicates a request, recommendation, or suggestion. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. For more information, see our post The Subjunctive Mood.
Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
He likes girls.
Or
He like girls.
As the post states, “Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boat, courage) as a subject ever have an added s on the end.” Therefore, with the pronoun he, the verb likes is correct.
Someone fix or someone fixes?
It depends on how the phrase is used in a sentence. Examples:
Can someone fix the remote?
If someone fixes the remote, we can watch our favorites show.
Why do we need to classify verb as singular or plural even though it is just an action word? And how did we come up with “if the verb is singular it ends with an s” rule? I hope someone can answer my queries. Thanks a lot!
As we mentioned in our response of February 28, 2015, to Chaewon, that’s just the way the language is.
Is this statement correct?
Fasting and prayer make me grow spiritually.
It makes me grow spiritually.
Each sentence is grammatically correct. However, if your second sentence refers to “fasting and prayer,” it should be written “They make me grow spiritually.”
Should the verb with the noun people end with s?
The word people is plural. As the post states, only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. Therefore, your answer is no.
Is this correct?
1) The children cleans their rooms every Suday morning.
2) My friends likes me very much.
As the post states, “Only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boat, courage) as a subject ever have an added s on the end.” The subjects children and friends are plural nouns; therefore, the verbs clean and like are correct.
From what I understand, when the subject is singular (he, she, it, the dog, etc.), we use ‘verb-s’ for affirmative sentences.
“He plays tennis.”
Plural subjects [you, we, they, the dogs (and “I”)] just use the verb with no ‘s’ for affirmative sentences.
“They play tennis.”
However, when the sentence is a question or a negative sentence, ALL subjects use “verb-(no)s”
“Does he play tennis?”
“Can he play tennis?”
“He doesn’t play tennis.”
“He can’t play tennis.”
Now the question… If verbs DON’T use “verb-s” for questions and negatives… Why do we use it in this case? Is “Who” a special exception? Are there other common exceptions that I should know?
“Who usually plays tennis?”
Thank you for your amazing work!
Does the same go for auxiliaries too?
Can you please tell me what would come here: “those dreadful moment he had lived through”? When I read this thread, I came to the conclusion that those is plural, so the verb should be plural, hence moment should remain unchanged here, right? But in my test, the explanation is because those is plural, hence moments should be there in place of moment. Can you please explain?
Yes, this rule applies to modal auxiliaries.
The plural noun moments is correct in your example phrase. The rules in this post apply to verbs, not nouns. The adjective those does not affect the choice of verb; the subject does. Your example is a phrase, and the rule in this post applies to complete sentences.
Example: Those dreadful moments he had lived through were a test of his courage.
What happens when the sentence can be interpreted as having two possible subjects? Does “help” take an “s”?
A portion of online proceeds help support … or A portion of online proceeds help support …?
Our Rule 8 of Subject-Verb Agreement says, “With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.” Therefore, write “A portion of online proceeds help support ….”
What about the song lyrics,
“Who run the world?”
“girls”
Shouldn’t run have the s added?
Please see our June 14, 2014, reply to Huibert. You may also find our article Pop Tunes and Grammar interesting.
If i am refering to 3 classes eg 1 -3, do i say; P1, P2, and P3 classes or P1, P2 and P3 class?
The words class and classes are nouns, not verbs. The rules in this post apply to verbs; therefore, write “P1, P2, and P3 classes.”
Talking about “s” in a verb, please help me with “let it flow” or “let it flows.”
Thank you.
Kindly correct the sentence below, I am using this in my resume
“Utilize/utilizes experience of Credit Risk Analyst which benefit/benefits in understanding, analyzing and interpreting the financials of organization and budgetary controls.”
Whether you choose to use a first-person style (I utilize …) or a third-person style (he or she utlilizes …) is up to you. In either case, benefits agrees with the singular experience.
Can I say ”everybody needs to learn before he talks” or “everybody need to learns before he talks”?
We recommend Everybody needs to learn before talking. OR Everyone needs to learn before talking. (A common way of expressing this is Think before you speak.)
I’m confused with the below sentences.
I can confirm that our invoice reflect the correct amount. I thought it is correct to use the singular verb “reflects” here because of the “our” which is a third person plural pronoun.
I can confirm that our invoice reflects the correct amount. Or should the correct sentence be this, because of the singular noun “invoice”?
I can confirm that the invoice reflects the correct amount. How about this, this is better and less confusing?
The singular verb reflects is used because of the third-person singular noun invoice. (It is the invoice that does the reflecting.) Therefore, the last two sentences are both grammatically correct.
Since “family” is singular, why do we use “they” in the following sentence?
I met her family, they were very kind.
Our Rule 9 of Subject-Verb Agreement says, “With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer’s intent.” If your intent is to focus on the family as a unit, you could write I met her family, and each of them was very kind.
If your intent is to emphasize the individuals of the family, you could write I met her family members, and they were very kind.
(Note that we corrected your run-on sentence. In addition to our example, it could also have been written as I met her family. Each of them was very kind. OR I met her family; each of them was very kind.)
Please tell me whether this sentence of mine is correct or incorrect, “I let my outer world sleep.” Should I add “S” to the word “sleep.” If not, why? Please clarify.
Is this sentence correct?
When will your vacation starts?
Which one is correct ?
System remains offline on april
System remained offline on april
The system remained offline in April. (past)
The system remains offline today, April __. (continues into the present)
The system will be offline in April. (future)
Which is correct?
“A, B, and C uniquely qualifies her for this job” OR
“A, B, and C uniquely qualify her for this job.”
As the post states, only verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. Your sentence contains three subjects, A, B, and C; therefore, qualify is correct.
Please see the sentences below and explain which is correct. Thank you.
1. John saw the burglar break or breaks into his neighbour’s house and alerted the police immediately.
2. Whether the children attend their swimming classes or not depend or depends on the weather.
3. Susan has the habit of helping her mother wash or washes the dishes after every meal.
4. When the boys knocked against the flower pot, Clara saw it topple or topples over.
Certain verbs such as make, made, let, see, saw, feel, help, and hear, when followed by an object, use a form called a bare infinitive. Some of your sentences contain a subject and the verb saw or helping followed by an object and an infinitive without the word to. The bare infinitive uses the verb’s root or stem, therefore there is no s. Your first, third, and fourth sentences are examples of this:
John saw the burglar break into his neighbor’s house and alerted the police immediately.
Susan has the habit of helping her mother wash the dishes after every meal.
When the boys knocked against the flower pot, Clara saw it topple over.
In your second sentence, the clause “Whether the children attend their swimming classes” is the singular subject of the sentence. Therefore, the singular verb depends is correct. The phrase “or not” is unnecessary.
Whether the children attend their swimming classes depends on the weather.
What if the statement is
“She and I talk/talks to the principal.”
What should I do?
Since there are two subjects (She and I), use the plural verb talk.
Please clarify if the following sentence will have s in the verb and why.
My father is a pilot. He _ planes.(fly)
I mean if the latter word has s in it then will the verb before it will have an s or no.
The word following the verb has no effect on the spelling of the verb. As indicated in the post, the subject determines whether to add s to the verb. Since the subject of your sentence is a third-person singular pronoun (he), use the verb flies.
I want to ask do we put s after does or not?
An s is never added to the word does. The word does is singular; do can be plural or singular. More information about the words does and do can be found in the post What Does vs. What Do and the comments that follow.
How about this sentence?
Mary is the only one of the girls who come/comes to class early.
Because this sentence specifies that only one girl comes to class early, the relative pronoun who modifies one. Since one is a third-person singular noun, an s is added to the verb (comes). Note that if you remove the phrase “of the girls,” the choice of the correct verb becomes apparent: Mary is the only one who comes to class early. (Please see Rule 1 of Subject-Verb Agreement: A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.)
He watched Ronaldo score a beautiful goal.
OR
He watched Ronaldo scores a beautiful goal.
Please which one is the correct answer and why?
The base form of the verb, in this case score rather than scores, is used after certain principal verbs such as watch, see (saw), hear, feel, help, let, and make. It may or may not be followed by an object: He watched Ronaldo score a beautiful goal. He watched Ronaldo score.
Todays journal
Or
Today journal?
Our Rule 1a of Apostrophes says, “Use the apostrophe to show possession. To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe plus the letter s.” Therefore, write “today’s journal.”
I’m a beginner in English. How do you explain this example?
“Somebody stop the rain.” (Scatman John lyrics)
Why there is no “s” after “stop”?
Thank you for your site. I added it to my bookmarks.
Your sentence is an example of what’s called an imperative sentence, a sentence where a command or advice is being given. An imperative sentence uses the base form of the verb; therefore, there is no s. For example:
Declarative sentence: Somebody stops the rain. (a statement)
Imperative sentence: Somebody stop the rain. (a command)
Thank you for your website. It helped me learn a lot.
I would like to ask whether the sentence below is correct, as I was pondering whether to add s to the verbs before and after “an average person.”
Did you know that jumping rope helps an average person burns more than 10 calories?
Thank you for your help and time.
As the post states, verbs with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject have an added s on the end. The word person is a third-person singular noun as a subject; therefore, the verb help has an added s. The base form of the second verb, in this case burn rather than burns, is used after certain principal verbs such as watch, see (saw), hear, feel, help, let, and make, followed by an object (calories).
Did you know that jumping rope helps an average person burn more than 10 calories?
With “my mother” or “my father” should we use “do” or “does”?
Mother and father are both third-person singular nouns. As the post indicates, verbs with a third-person singular noun as a subject have an added s on the end. Therefore, does is correct.
I have an issue with the following sentence:
As soon as one of my teachers posts a lesson online, I get an email.
Shouldn’t the verb posts be without s because the subject before it, “teachers,” is plural?
Thanks.
Our Rule 1 of Subject-Verb Agreement reads “A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes.” The subject of the sentence is one.
Don’t add -s to the verb. (I sign. Sue and I sign. We sign. You sign. Sue and Bob sign. They sign.)
That’s correct. As we discussed in the second paragraph of the article, your examples do not have third-person singular nouns or pronouns as subjects. Therefore, no s is added to sign.
I am curious about this, and I cannot understand why this works.
Here is a simple sentence:
Abby bakes a cake.
Why does the verb have s at the end, even if it is not he, she, or it?
Using another person’s name is also third person. An example of a first person pronoun is I, and you is a second person pronoun.
Why add an ”S”?
I have some news that will cheer you up.
What cheers you up?
Why is there an ‘’S’’ in the second sentence?
Another example:
Don’t turn up late for work.
He always turns up late for work.
Do we say:
Tom and his family lives…
Or:
Tom and his family live…
Tom and his family form a compound (plural) subject, so the plural verb without an s would be used: Tom and his family live…
Which is the correct answer here and why?
The manager with his assistants _____ at night. (work or works)
Our Rule 5a of Subject-Verb Agreement says,”Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.” Note that the phrase should be set off by commas.
The manager, with his assistants, works at night.
The modifier could also be moved in the sentence to further emphasize the singular subject:
e.g.
With his assistants, the manager works at night.
The manager works with his assistants at night.
Do we say “mom prepare meals” or “mom prepares meals”? I’m a little bit confused.
“Mom” is a singular subject that would take the singular form of the sentence verb, “prepares.”
How about everyone, anyone, someone, and no one? Should we add s to the verbs?
Our Rule 6 of Pronouns states, “Pronouns that are singular (I, he, she, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, no one, nobody, someone, somebody, each, either, neither, etc.) require singular verbs. This rule is frequently overlooked when using the pronouns each, either, and neither, followed by of. Those three pronouns always take singular verbs. Do not be misled by what follows of.” Therefore, add s to the verbs when using these pronouns.
She eats a cake and drink a bottle of water.
She eats a cake and drinks a bottle of water.
Which one is correct?
Does the second verb stay with the subject mentioned at the beginning and thus is needed to add an “s”?
Or is it just a verb that needs no concern about whether the subject is singular or plural?
Both verbs must agree with the singular subject she; therefore, drinks is correct.
The questions and answers above have been very helpful. Thanks so much.
Which of these is correct?
Shouldn’t he have corrected his son?
Shouldn’t he has corrected his son?
Shouldn’t he have corrected his son? is grammatically correct. Please see our post The Present Perfect Tense for more information.
I want to know why these sentences should add s:
1) The same thing (happens) to people’s brains when they get older.
2) Reading (expands) your vocabulary.
Thank you.
The subjects of your sentences are thing and reading. Both are third-person singular nouns. As the post states, verbs with a third-person noun as a subject add s.
Is this sentence grammatically correct? Slow and steady wins the race.
Why do we add s with “win” although the subject is plural, as “and” is used between “slow” and “steady”?
In the idiom “Slow and steady wins the race,” “slow and steady” is treated as a single idea in a compound subject with a singular verb, similar to the exceptions “bed and breakfast” and “breaking and entering” in our Rule 4 of Subject-Verb Agreement.
I was listening to the CEO of Pfizer, who speaks almost perfect English with a German accent. He said “the vaccine does not depends on whether the ….” He’s not a native speaker so he doesn’t know it’s wrong, but logically, why is it wrong? You’d say “the vaccine depends on whether,” so why “does not depend”? He paused and you could see him working out the right verb form and making what seems to me to be the logical decision even though my native-speaker ear knows it’s wrong. Why does the negative get a verb form than normally goes with a plural subject?
The difference has nothing to do with the negative word “not” being used. The word does is an auxiliary (helping verb) in your example, and it is used in conjunction with the main verb “depend.” Normally a singular verb would be used and it would be formed by adding an s. When the auxiliary is there, the spelling of the main verb does not change. Please see our post Helping Verbs: Examples of Helping Verbs.
“the vaccine does not depend on whether…”
“the vaccine depends on whether…”
Is it right to add the letter “s” after “wonder” when the noun is singular? I’ve tried it and “wonders” sounds weird. VERY weird.
It depends on the singular noun. As the post states, a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boy) adds an s. The singular pronouns I and you do not add an s.
My question on adding “s” to a verb is that, what is the implication of that s on a verb? For instance; He gives money. Does this mean that, the subject(he) continue giving money or what?
“He gives money” is an an example of a present nonprogressive sentence.The action could be instant, but we are not certain if it is happening now. The nonprogressive could be used to tell a narrative in the present tense even though the action is not presently taking place. See our post Present Progressive Tense for more information. Adding “s” in this context also concerns conjugating the verb according to the subject number (singular vs. plural).
We use “s” or “es” with 3rd person singular. Then how is this statement grammatically correct: *What makes you happy?*
The singular subject What agrees with the singular verb makes. The word “you” is a direct object in this sentence.
When you use “put” in your sentence, for example “She put/puts them under the tree,” do you need to change the verb with a singular pronoun, or it will it stay as it is? If yes, which other words cannot be changed?
The subject is the third-person singular pronoun “she.” As the post states, “With verbs, only those with a third-person singular noun or pronoun (he, she, boat, courage) as a subject add an s to the end. Verbs with plural nouns and pronouns do not add s at the end. (The singular pronouns I and you likewise do not add an s to the verb.)” Therefore, “puts” is correct.
I just wanted to say, you are the best website I ever see in life.
thank you so much every day we learn something new
Also, thank you so much for the prompt reply.
please let me know if my para was without errors.
please advice if this sentence is correct,
kindly note that Alex mother’s wants to change her mobile number to XXXXXXXX.
We are pleased that you find our site valuable. We did find some errors that we corrected below. Please note the capitalization, spelling, and punctuation changes. The following is grammatically correct:
I just wanted to say this is the best website I have ever seen in my life.
Thank you so much. Every day we learn something new.
Also, thank you so much for the prompt reply.
Please let me know if my paragraph was without errors.
Please advise if this sentence is correct:
Kindly note that Alex’s mother wants to change her mobile number to XXXXXXXX.
Where should we use has and have?
Use has with third-person singular nouns and pronouns; have is used with the singular pronouns I and you and plural nouns and pronouns.
Has and have can also be used as auxilary verbs. See our post What Are Auxiliary Verbs? (Including Examples and Usage).
Is it “guys who doesn’t care,” or we should say “guys who don’t care”?
Use the plural verb don’t (do not) with the plural noun guys.
Is it “I will visit you if it doesn’t pour” or “I will visit you if it doesn’t pours” which one shall be the correct one?
Please advice which sentence should be used.
I believe both sentences are correct.
As the post states, “Note also that when a verb is paired with a helping (auxiliary) verb such as do, can, or should, the main verb does not change:”
The verb “pour” is correct because the helping (auxiliary verb) “doesn’t” (does not) is used.
Isabel takes showers. She doesn’t take baths.
Why do we use two s’s for verbs in the first sentence?
In the first sentence, “Isabel” is a first-person singular noun. Therefore, “takes” is correct.
As the post states, when a verb is paired with a helping (auxiliary) verb such as do, can, or should, the main verb does not change. Your second sentence contains the helping verb “doesn’t” (“do not”). Therefore, “take” is correct.
The words “showers” and “baths” are plural nouns, not verbs.
Each time John drives through the checkpoint at the Swiss border, the border patrol insists he open the canvas for them to inspect the cargo he is transporting.
Should it be “he opens” or “he open”?
Our post Subjunctive Mood: What Is the Subjunctive Mood? explains that in statements expressing a wish, demand, suggestion, or recommendation, the subjunctive alters verb conjugation by dropping the -s from the third-person singular tense. Therefore, “he open” is correct.
I was listening to a song in which they sang, “Flower, gleam and glow.” I know that “flower” is singular. Why did they use “gleam and glow” instead of “gleams and glows”?
Song lyrics do not always contain proper grammar, as musicians may take liberties to suit their inner ear (see our article Pop Tunes and Grammar). In the example you provide, it appears that the flower is being given a command, and the word order is simply changed for lyrical cadence, i.e., the statement could also be written as “Gleam and glow, flower!” You can learn more about this usage with our posts Imperative Mood Explanation and Examples and What Is an Imperative Sentence?
What about when “also” appears between the subject and the verb? Is it, The board also confirms or confirm that the claim is not accurate.
The word “also,” an adverb, does not influence the agreement between the singular subject “board” and the singular verb “confirms.”
He rises to his feet, and walk up to Jane.
Is rises correct?
Also, I was hoping to understand if adding an s is sensible to verbs ending with an e.
The correct treatment would be “He rises to his feet and walks up to Jane.” Because the sentence subject is the singular pronoun “he,” both verbs would be written in the third-person singular. As with “rise,” other verbs that end in “-e” would likewise end in “s” if they are in the third-person singular (he, she, it): She captures fireflies in a jar. You may find our post Subject-Verb Agreement of interest.
Is a line with a slope “equals to 0.5,” or is a line with a slope “equal to 0.5”?
As the post states, with verbs, only those with a third-person singular noun or pronoun as a subject add an s to the end. The word “line” is a third-person singular noun. Therefore, use the singular verb “equals.” In this sentence, the word “to” is unnecessary.
“A line with a slope equals 0.5”
You could also use the helping (auxiliary) verb “is,” and write “A line with a slope is equal to 0.5.” (See the note and link in the post for more information on helping [auxiliary] verbs.)